automated eating tracker

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Sat Sep 07, 2019 6:54 pm

automatedeating wrote:
Fri Sep 06, 2019 2:01 pm
Hi Ladybird! What in the world is the lurgy? Well, nevermind, I took the liberty of looking it up:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dre1.htm
Ha! And I was even pronouncing it wrong.

INTJ :-) ? And Pinkhippie is INTP. And I am INFJ. Are we a forum of "INs"? Introverted Visionaries? Ha! And perhaps you read where I used to test as a "T" but since all this counseling I'm firmly an F! Double Ha!!! Actually, I really do think it's finally spot on - I think my upbringing and my coping mechanisms had me awkwardly always trying to deny my feelings. In fact, I think I'm kind of extreme with the F thing. I'm starting to pick apart why being around someone that is feeling upset so profoundly causes my system to go wonk-wire (I just made that word up). The advantage I suppose I have at coming to the "feeling" world so late in life is that I have my left brain skills firmly in place to keep me from joining a cult, for example. :mrgreen:

Friday, Sept 6
121.0
FBG: 98 (you know, this number has definitely improved since tightening up my eating. That said, it's still nowhere near what it was when I drank wine everyday. How's that for shite life luck...?)

Eating
B: coffee w/milk, handful walnuts + few bites yogurt
L: yogurt w/berries (2 hours post-meal BG: 108)
D: date night - french onion soup + steak gorgonzola salad
decaf coffee w/milk
fail - 2 keto peanut butter cookies that Sexy had made. I should have waited until tomorrow, but I was feeling weak about things.

Moving
taking it easy today. planning to swim with creator and go on after meal gentle walks.
went on a pretty long walk/jog w/HappyHerder after lunch and dinner.
14K steps

I'm feeling a bit put-upon by my family. I've been working so hard to be there for each of them, listen, not judge, be validating, etc. And I'm worn down. Creator in particular has been so needy the last couple of months. He sleeps in our bedroom a lot (he's 10 so this is pretty old for this behavior, but we are mostly fine with it if he needs it). He made a little nest in the corner that he comes and piles into. He is a very sensitive child and doesn't have a lot of friends. He really does have a huge zest for life - it's not like he acts depressed or unhappy - but he wants to be with me, and be touching me, and talking to me - so much of the time. Part of me suspects it is a "rebound" effect from my years of drinking in the evening when I would tell him to go upstairs (so I could drink in peace before bed, right...?!) and he didn't get the nurturing he needed from me. I view this as the universe's way of putting in kids a sensor that allows them to tell when there is an opportunity to improve an attachment. So I am going with it. Eventually, this kiddo will hit puberty and my window for this sort of repair from the childhood years will close.

This window has already closed with Challenger13, who is also very difficult for me to support, but for different reasons. Actually, if Challenger were my only one, I think at this point he and I would do OK most of the time. We are very similar in the way we think about things. However, my husband and I both were so dismissive of both boys (but Challenger moreso and for longer) at times (again, me partly due to drinking and partly due to my baggage), and so Challenger is quite closed off from his more tender feelings. A couple days ago he cried about something (not being able to make brownies after 9pm, if you're really curious), and I nearly jumped for joy (don't worry, I restrained myself). That is so rare for him to show that kind of vulnerability these days. My therapist keeps reassuring me that my changing behavior can still provide Challenger (and Creator) with better emotional strategies and skills, even though I flubbed up royally for most of their lives.

As parents, I know we do the best we can. I'm not beating myself up about this by laying it all out here (I hope it doesn't come across that way), and although I have moments of guilt and self-flagellation, I am working through them. I know that I can only do what I can to be a present, supportive parent that still provides firm, reasonable boundaries. (that's the toughest one when you are also trying to be empathetic - damn it!).
I think that, taken in total, the above paragraphs explain that, emotionally, I am giving my all with my family, and I'm just feeling worn out. It's like the way my muscles feel after lifting weights. It doesn't mean I'll never lift again, but I need to not stay in the weight room 24/7. LOL.

And lastly, the things I just shared probably are the source of the urges I had yesterday to drink wine as well as seek out some comfort food. I was able to ride out these cravings (a craving is not a command) without too much effort, but effort was definitely required. I wonder what feeling in particular leads straight to the "wanna sit on couch with wine". I have some work to do to pick at this idea, but in general it's something about feeling "enough is enough" or "everybody leave me alone" or "I just want to veg out" or "please god make everyone go away". This FASCINATES me - not the wine/junk food desires, but because I have hardly been around anyone!!!! I mean, yes, I've been back and work and socially a bit every day, but nothing like the number of people I'll be around once classes start up. Apparently even seeing a few people every day is difficult for me! Being alone all summer was like a balm to me. Now my introverted self is freaking out a bit and feeling sorry for itself and wanting to nurse a bottle of wine (or at least some ice cream!) when it finally gets home and can put its feet up.

PersonalLearning
I enjoyed this article - this man's journey is quite similar to my own blood sugar journey. Indeed, even the types of exercise that he does seem to be the same as what is best for my own blood sugar control as well.https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health ... y-diabetes
Hi Auto! Funny all the IN's around here. I am actually an INFP, not an INTP, so I am a feeler as well. Lots of decision making based on my feelings. It makes my marriage to a T exciting! :)

The growth mindset book is amazing to me. It's really just all about how much of a difference our mindset can make in our lives. For example, believing that you can achieve things only because of your natural talent or abilities, versus believing that if you work hard, you can achieve great things. Fixed, you can never change your intelligence or abilities, and growth, you can improve your intelligence and abilities. How important it is to praise kids by not saying "you are so smart," But "wow you worked really hard on that, good job!". There is a lot more to it of course but I think that is the gist.

I really relate to trying to be a parent who is present, supportive and sets firm boundaries, and how difficult that can be. And giving your family your all emotionally. For example, I can tell right now that I need time to myself, yet my 10 year old wants to talk and I can't bear to tell her that I can't listen to her right now. So, I am sitting here listening to her when its the last thing I want to do. That is probably not the best... but its very hard to step back from what I perceive as my family and children's needs.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Sep 08, 2019 2:40 am

Oh gosh sorry I got mixed up about your type. INFP. :-)

Growth mindset is really fun to talk about, especially in my teaching/learning setting.

What you said about your 10-year old - that is such a hard balance! Being parents, we DO have to sacrifice our own desires many times in order to meet the needs of our children. And yet, if we overdo it, ick! That's NOT fun and can require a long time to recover. Longer than if we just take occasional and necessary breaks for self-care.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Sun Sep 08, 2019 7:00 am

Thanks auto, yes was thinking of getting a monitor :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Sep 08, 2019 3:32 pm

Sunday, Sept. 8
121.4

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
L: yogurt w/berries
1 cup bone broth
D: giant salad w/cheese & egg
dessert: keto bark + dark chocolate peanut butter (BG up to 123, then down to 100 after a nice walk)
decaf coffee w/half&half X 2

Moving
14K steps is the goal
walk/jog w/HappyHerder after lunch and after dinner
movement every hour
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Sun Sep 08, 2019 4:59 pm

automatedeating wrote:
Sun Sep 08, 2019 2:40 am
Oh gosh sorry I got mixed up about your type. INFP. :-)

Growth mindset is really fun to talk about, especially in my teaching/learning setting.

What you said about your 10-year old - that is such a hard balance! Being parents, we DO have to sacrifice our own desires many times in order to meet the needs of our children. And yet, if we overdo it, ick! That's NOT fun and can require a long time to recover. Longer than if we just take occasional and necessary breaks for self-care.
Oh goodness, no its ok you got mixed up. I wouldn't have even said anything, but I'm such an F, I Felt like it would be misrepresenting myself to go on as a T. lol :D

Yes I think as a teacher you could do some awesome stuff with growth mindset. I feel like all my great teachers really convey that. They love their subject and they let all the students know that they can learn this even if it seems hard. My networking teacher is like that. He says that its great if we are confused because that is a place that we can start to learn from and be enlightened.

Yeah parenting is a really hard balance. I sometimes wonder if MY parents put this much thought into trying to meet my needs and their own as I do or did they just not even worry about it. It seems like the older generation was less focused on that, but it could have just been my parents. I am glad self care if becoming a known thing and something that is more socially acceptable and not seen as selfish. :)

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:43 pm

An F and a T are very different people, right Pinkie!? As a newly certain "F", I am right there with you in the importance of this distinction! It's shocking that when I was 25, I was firmly coming out a "T" on that test, and now I am extreme on the "F". I think I molded myself into a T to fit my family of origin, and now the wild and expressive F in me is finally getting her day in the sun!

I hope your teachers are great this semester and all inspire and encourage you like your networking teacher! I taught my classes sort of "gradeless" spring quarter - it was quite the experiment (I did journal about it here). This fall I am continuing with the best nuggets from spring and some new elements based on student feedback. I'm looking forward to seeing these students thrive.

My mom has said to me on multiple occasions - "I never thought about stuff like you do" or "we just did stuff - got married, had kids, we never thought about it". The burden on parents these days to be all and do all for their kids. Whoa - our culture is so massively child-centric it is a little overwhelming in some ways.

Monday, Sept. 9
121.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half & half, 1/4 cup walnuts, a few bites of yogurt
L: yogurt w/berries
1 cup bone broth in the afternoon
D: cheeseburgers w/ all the toppings
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
It is POURING today. Summer is really just about over.... :cry: So it will be weird and not fun to walk/jog today but I'm sure I'll adjust. I broke my headphones last time I ran in the rain - so much for water resistant in the northwest.
I was able to get out for a fairly dry walk/jog after lunch.
Walk/jog after dinner
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
Octavia
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:01 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Octavia » Tue Sep 10, 2019 9:09 am

...I had to do my jog-walk thing in the rain, too! I felt quite hard-core. :lol:

It’s true we are expected to be and do everything for our kids - I have memories when we’d take DD ice skating with friends on a Sunday morning, all go on the ice, then back to our house to make dinner for the friends. Now my own mother would not have considered going out skating, she would have protested that she had to make the dinner. It would have been one thing or the other. As for dad, he would have been pottering in his workshop or something. But modern parents must entertain AND cook! And we wonder why we get stressed...

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Sep 10, 2019 2:45 pm

Octavia - agree on all points. I feel so tired suddenly thinking about parenting. I've tried so hard, and then sometimes I get this overwhelm of fear that now I've just allowed these children to run wild. Sigh. Not really in the mental space to think about this today.

So restless. This was a common issue in the first couple months of No Alcohol. Month 4 was the easiest, but upon reflection, it was also my LEAST busy month. And now, holy shite, everything is starting to roll. ***revving engines in the background***

OK ladies, how about this topic: no longer coloring my gray....!!!!!! Yes, contemplation has ensued. I'm thinking I could get a pixie cut (I have long, brown, curly hair) and let the gray grow out. Then grow my hair long again if I feel like it. I don't think I would have remotely considered this option if it weren't for quitting alcohol and spending the summer in therapy. I guess if I hate the gray I can always go back to coloring it. But for golly's sake, I spend $100 every 7-8 weeks on my hair...... I talked with hubby about it last night. He never tells me what he really feels if it's negative but I actually did get a sort of enthusiastic support from him. I don't think he was faking. He's quite gray himself, but as we all know, that's just sexy on Sexy. :roll: :lol:
I think I have a LOT of gray. Like maybe 50% at this point. You know, gray hair is in with the young things these days. Ha! I bet my hair lady will freak out. Maybe she should freak out. Maybe this will be remembered as Auto's last sane month. And then she cut her hair and embraced her gray.

Tuesday, Sept. 10
FBG: 98

Eating
B: coffee w/milk
L: yogurt w/berries, walnuts
D: big tuna fish salad w/cheese on top
1 cup bone broth, 1 cup decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
Feel like a slug today. But I will try to move. :-)
Update - Sexy and I had the best day! We went to the casino! Played slots together, then went on a long hike with HappyHerder. Then we took Creator and a friend of his to the Y to swim together. Great day considering it started out sluggish.
I'm already at 16K
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Tue Sep 10, 2019 7:15 pm

automatedeating wrote:
Tue Sep 10, 2019 2:45 pm
Octavia - agree on all points. I feel so tired suddenly thinking about parenting. I've tried so hard, and then sometimes I get this overwhelm of fear that now I've just allowed these children to run wild. Sigh. Not really in the mental space to think about this today.

So restless. This was a common issue in the first couple months of No Alcohol. Month 4 was the easiest, but upon reflection, it was also my LEAST busy month. And now, holy shite, everything is starting to roll. ***revving engines in the background***

OK ladies, how about this topic: no longer coloring my gray....!!!!!! Yes, contemplation has ensued. I'm thinking I could get a pixie cut (I have long, brown, curly hair) and let the gray grow out. Then grow my hair long again if I feel like it. I don't think I would have remotely considered this option if it weren't for quitting alcohol and spending the summer in therapy. I guess if I hate the gray I can always go back to coloring it. But for golly's sake, I spend $100 every 7-8 weeks on my hair...... I talked with hubby about it last night. He never tells me what he really feels if it's negative but I actually did get a sort of enthusiastic support from him. I don't think he was faking. He's quite gray himself, but as we all know, that's just sexy on Sexy. :roll: :lol:
I think I have a LOT of gray. Like maybe 50% at this point. You know, gray hair is in with the young things these days. Ha! I bet my hair lady will freak out. Maybe she should freak out. Maybe this will be remembered as Auto's last sane month. And then she cut her hair and embraced her gray.

Tuesday, Sept. 10
FBG: 98

Eating
B: coffee w/milk
L: (will be) yogurt w/berries, walnuts
D: (will be) beef salad bowl/spaghetti for kids (now that this item is back on the menu, summer must truly be over - it is a staple during the school year.
(will have) 1 cup bone broth, 1 cup decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
Feel like a slug today. But I will try to move. :-)
automatedeating wrote:
Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:43 pm
An F and a T are very different people, right Pinkie!? As a newly certain "F", I am right there with you in the importance of this distinction! It's shocking that when I was 25, I was firmly coming out a "T" on that test, and now I am extreme on the "F". I think I molded myself into a T to fit my family of origin, and now the wild and expressive F in me is finally getting her day in the sun!

I hope your teachers are great this semester and all inspire and encourage you like your networking teacher! I taught my classes sort of "gradeless" spring quarter - it was quite the experiment (I did journal about it here). This fall I am continuing with the best nuggets from spring and some new elements based on student feedback. I'm looking forward to seeing these students thrive.

My mom has said to me on multiple occasions - "I never thought about stuff like you do" or "we just did stuff - got married, had kids, we never thought about it". The burden on parents these days to be all and do all for their kids. Whoa - our culture is so massively child-centric it is a little overwhelming in some ways.

Monday, Sept. 9
121.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half & half, 1/4 cup walnuts, a few bites of yogurt
L: yogurt w/berries
1 cup bone broth in the afternoon
D: cheeseburgers w/ all the toppings
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
It is POURING today. Summer is really just about over.... :cry: So it will be weird and not fun to walk/jog today but I'm sure I'll adjust. I broke my headphones last time I ran in the rain - so much for water resistant in the northwest.
I was able to get out for a fairly dry walk/jog after lunch.
Walk/jog after dinner
Thanks!
hah yes there are some major differences between T and F. I used to actually wonder if I was J and even test that way but I think its because a J is more what we are supposed to be in many ways, and I was trying to mold myself into something I was not. Now I embrace my (P) Perceiving side.

Wow teaching a grade less semester sounds very interesting! I might need to go look for those journal posts. So far I have great teachers. My programming teacher, I have had for 1.5 semesters now so I feel very comfortable around him now...well MORE comfortable. It's very easy to be intimidated when a teacher knows so much about the subject that you are trying to learn about. :) My networking class is great because it feels like we are all in it together, trying to figure this stuff out. It's nice when you have a class full of enthusiastic students AND an enthusiastic teacher.

So... onto hair. :D

Well I have some gray in my hair and I don't plan to dye it. I dyed my hair all the time when I was younger and now I just can't stand it. It's too much work and maintenance. I think natural gray looks awesome, and if you have curly hair I think a pixie could look great. I contemplate pixies, but they are also maintenance because then you have to cut them all the time to keep their shape. It's why my hair is just pretty blah and shapeless right now. I wear it in a bun 99.5 % of the time so it doesn't matter. :D Can you tell I don't like maintenance? lol

User avatar
Octavia
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:01 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Octavia » Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:55 pm

To grey or not to grey is a very personal question...but it sounds like a fun adventure for you right now, something new and exciting. You might find all sorts of new colours suit you! Also, it would be practical and easy to care for! You might feel really liberated. And if not, you can change your mind and go back to colouring it!

jenji
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by jenji » Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:53 pm

My hair has big streaks of gray now. I like it, yet I will be doing some new stuff professionally, and several people have suggested I straighten it and color it to project a certain look. I hate my hair straight. So I am not taking that advice to heart. My grays and my curls are coming on this adventure.
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Sep 11, 2019 8:42 pm

This grey hair thing is so controversial! I've been reading a bit about it and I realize I'm making quite a statement (whether I mean to or not) by forging this path.

Pixie - I am not into maintenance either! I think, like Octavia said, it feels freeing for me to try this route. And right - I can always change my mind and color it again! One of my sisters is FREAKING out - she is working it working it to talk me out of this. She is so upset that it will make look old. She's 10 years older than me and I almost wonder if having her younger sister look old is affecting her OWN self-image.... hmmmm. fascinating.

Jen - you are amazing. Proud of you! I don't have a "public" image to worry about, but I can imagine the pressure on you is greater than that of my friends and family. You do you!

Wednesday, September 11 (always a somber moment to write that)
120.4
FBG: 100

Eating
B: coffee w/milk, then a croissant breakfast sandwich (got the weird low BP again and had to drink salt water - caught it early enough this time that I avoided the fainting, thank goodness).
L: yogurt w/berries
D: beef bowl salad / spaghetti for kids
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Not too much today. Heading out for a walk and then swimming with Creator.
Also walk/jogged after dinner.
Running problem!!! I've been getting side aches on my jogs! I think it's from going after eating (which is my goal for the whole blood sugar regulation idea) - but HappyHerder wants to RUN and so I get a sideache!!!
14K steps now.

Jury Duty Tomorrow!!!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Candace
Posts: 207
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 10:27 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Candace » Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:38 pm

That's pretty interesting about the decision whether or not to color your hair. I'm not ready to embrace my gray, so color it is for me. However, about a year ago I stopped paying a salon colorist to do it, and now do it myself using eSalon. It's a bit awkward at first to do it oneself, but the results are really good, and I get a bit better at it every time I do it. It is pretty darn cheap, too. I've even done my own highlights a couple of times, and the results are (again) really good, at least as good as the salon. I'm doing a "plain vanilla" darkish brunette with a little copper in it, and my hair is naturally ashy brown a shade or two darker than the color. I have maybe 50% gray in my center part, and maybe 20% gray or less most other places on my head. I only wish I had a coloring buddy to trade favors with. It would be much easier to do someone else's and then have them do mine. I'm happy to chat about it with anyone who is curious. There may be a referral possibility but I don't care about that.
53 year old female. Height 5' 5.5". Goal: 145 lb. Stretch goal: 140 lb.
Weight 6/14/2019: 155 lb.
8/3/2019: 151 lb.
8/24/2019: 149 lb.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Sep 12, 2019 1:48 pm

Candace! It's amazing how this discussion gets people going. I was totally in your camp as recently as my last hair appt (about not being ready to embrace my gray). I'm not really sure what's come over me. I get it that my decision is not for everybody (and maybe it's not even for me), but seriously - my sister is being so weird!!! She says I'll look "faded and worn out" and "OLD" and how can I want to do that in my 40's... it's tough! I thought she'd let up eventually, but she still sends text messages communicating her panic that I'm so willing to give up, in her mind, my youth.

The weirdest part is I get excited at the prospect. I've had alternating very short and very long hair over the years (currently in a very long stage) - getting a pixie cut is fun to do occasionally. It grows back! :-) In fact, I get way more compliments when my hair is short (that has always surprised me). And by cutting it all off I can basically zoom through the part where I let the gray grow back in. Anyway, I'm rambling. It is totally fascinating to me how important hair is to all of us as to our identity, and how having a loved one change hair can be disruptive to our own identity (clearly my sister is strongly affected by my contemplation). For me, this change is about being my true self. The lower maintenance, the less money spent, the quick and easy hair do, the vulnerability and transparency of showing my students that yes - some women DO go gray in their 40's - it's not the end of the world! These things are all the true me. My husband will still love me, my kids will have to deal (yes, that's a probable difficult transition for them, I get that), but we can get through this.

I think getting older is incredibly difficult for us to embrace, as well. My boobs are smaller and saggier now, I seem to be wrinkling at a faster rate than I expected, my skin tone is not even like it used to be, my hairline has a bit of recession in one spot, my neck skin is getting saggy. Yuck, right?! But it is me. On the bright side, my physical mobility is better than it's been since my 20's. My weight is happy and healthy. My joy in most things is much greater than a decade ago. I didn't want to face aging in my 40's, but here it is. It's not like I don't wish I looked amazing, but I am OK with not looking amazing. The journey. And I realize I have one more sentence bubbling up...... I feel peaceful and joyful on the inside. When I think of me with gray, I see myself with a big smile, an open heart, and a comfort in my own skin that I've been waiting for my whole life. A zest and a vibrancy that won't be held back.

Thursday, September 12 -- JURY DUTY today! :-)
121.4
FBG: 98

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, handful of walnuts & a bit of yogurt
L: yogurt w/berries
decaf coffee w/half&half
D: salmon cakes - ravioli for kids
fail - had 2 of hubby's buttercream treats.

Moving
walk/jog after dinner
13.5K steps
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Lizzy6
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2016 8:22 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Lizzy6 » Fri Sep 13, 2019 12:24 am

I loved reading that last post. I appreciate your positive attitude. I am 43 and I have started noticing the effects of aging. I hope to be at peace with it all too.

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by ladybird30 » Fri Sep 13, 2019 2:38 am

My 60's are the best decade of my life.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Fri Sep 13, 2019 5:16 am

I'm a natural blonde and 55. On 3 or 4 occasions I have had highlights but am going grey naturally and disgracefully. I'm fortunate in that there is still a lot of blonde even if it is more ash than strawberry these days :)

Give it a go!

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Sep 13, 2019 2:33 pm

Lizzy - I know we can grow from this discomfort and come out stronger for it. I already feel so much different than even 6 months ago. And interestingly, NoS has been my partner all along this long route. It provides the routine, the habits that allow me to eat food without spending excessive energy on food. Then I have energy to focus on the living of life. Also, success with NoS gave me confidence to approach other areas of my life that I wanted to change.

Ladybird - yes! I love hearing that!! I want your kind of mobility, exercise, and social connections when I'm in my 60's!!

Soprano - lucky duck! Blondes luck out in youth with the head-turning, then in middle age with the barely-noticeable graying! :-)

Friday, September 13
121.4
FBG: 91 (two possible reasons it is lower than normal: 1) ate very few carbs for dinner - I just wasn't hungry for a salad; and 2) I went running after dinner for about an hour. Evening exercise is usually shorter & gentler. Anyway, this is encouraging to see such a reasonable FBG.)

Eating
B: coffee w/milk, walnuts, bit of yogurt
L: yogurt w/berries - BG only up to 109 after this. Nice.
decaf coffee w/half & half
D: 1 piece of pizza and some dark chocolate -- fail. Blood glucose up to 145 within an hour. I had been toying with the idea of a free-for-all S night but my blood sugar spike brought me back to reality. Of note - this was a first where I had a very direct correlation between a headache and a blood sugar spike. I've had this happen many other times after eating sugary stuff, but I don't always have the readings to confirm the spike.

Moving
Aiming for after lunch and after dinner walks
Argh, I'm feeling so lazy today.

So how do I "treat" myself if food treats mess with my blood sugar? If I have trouble moderating alcohol? I can see why people might shop or something to get a rush. But maybe what I really need to do is some sinking into the change triangle to figure out what's making me antsy today.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Sep 14, 2019 3:08 pm

Saturday, September 14
122.2
FBG: 97
Morning BP: 123/72

Eating
B: coffee w/milk, handful of walnuts
1 cup broth
L: yogurt w/banana slices
coffee w/milk
D: salmon & green beans
dessert: keto pecan ice cream
1 cup broth

Moving
Pretty low key. Did some yard work and joined a subscription service called "Nutritious Movement". I liked the sound of that! :-) I worked through the first video called "Adductor Madness" (it was not mad at all, very gentle alignment series)
*evening walk - got to 15K steps. Mainly I'm focusing on moving every hour, actually every 30 min.

Last night I went on a long walk/jog with HappyHerder. I put away my podcast and just tried to sink into what was making me so antsy. What I came away with is not pretty to admit: I felt angry - resentful, put-upon, "woe is me", and a variety of other self-pitying and frustrated feelings about being expected to take care of my kids. Not pretty to put down here. I hate making lunches for them; fixing meals is anathema to me. Funny, because I was JUST talking to a co-worker and she was going on about how feeding her family well is her "thing". It makes her happy, fulfilled, etc. Maybe the way reading to my kids makes me feel. I also felt resentful that Creator has been sleeping in our room so much. Definitely hampers my sex life! I also felt irritated and put-upon that they always want me to listen and talk after 9pm (which is when I basically turn into a pumpkin - or maybe closer to the truth - a brain-dead zombie minus the appetite). And then I felt like the world is against me that kids need to talk so much at night and I am not a night person. Not only do they want to talk, it's very challenging to listen to their rude thinking and irrational plans. I have to bite my tongue repeatedly to avoid calling them giant fools and meanies. Lastly, I hate having to get them out the door and ready for school; drive them to and from every activity under the sun at every hour of the day; drive back to a place I was just at because I had promised one of them a specific kind of fast food that is only in one part of town.

I'm especially angry that I'm NOT able to enjoy my kids the way "good" moms do. My precious little popkins, the time goes so fast, they'll be gone before I know it, it's not about me it's about them - yada, yada, yada. Why do women always tell me this? When you see someone with a puppy, do you say, "enjoy this time because they'll be old and needing extra vet care before you know it?" Or to someone with brown hair, "enjoy your color because you'll be totally gray before you know it?" And, btw, they give this advice unsolicited! It's not like I even said all these frustrations. I might be hugging one of the kids, laughing, and enjoying myself, and then the woman (often my mother) will have to remind me I better enjoy this time because soon it will be gone (and the implied message is that I'll always regret my (mis)use of my time and wish I could go back and live in this phase of life perpetually). Oh, my. I just felt another big rush of anger as I typed this. Probably because I realized the cycle. My mom felt all these things - I'm almost sure of it. But denied it all.

Holy shite! Is this what comes out when I let myself FEEL my feelings! That is a pile of poop! I'm sorry you all had to wade your way through it. This is where some woman that's always wanted to have a baby - or worse, someone that has LOST a child - gets to lambaste me for being an ungrateful bitch. Honesty sucks. But the angry woman can't yell me out of my own state of mind. Maybe give me a guilt trip, but not fix the underlying feelings I fell prey to.

So I tried to just sink into these negative feelings and not run away from them (up to the defensive corner of the change triangle, in case you like the change triangle like I do).
https://medium.com/@hilaryjacobshendel/ ... 8400866060

It wasn't pleasant, and I was surprised at the multiple waves of anger that came out. All those other words - frustration, resentment, put-upon, hating - they all basically are anger. Lots of anger. It's directed at my kids, my mom, other mothers, but also at the universe in general.

And trying to defend against feeling that anger? Made me eat pizza yesterday! "Eating pizza" became the dopamine hit that helped me avoiding feeling my anger.

After my walk I was in a calmer state. It is not a pretty thing to feel/admit these ugly feelings toward one's own children. It's not their fault they need me. I'm the parent - I am the responsible party in this gig. I can't just not do my duty because I resent it.

So a few things I need to do:
1. come up with a plan for food. The kids' school has hot lunch W & F, which of course I sign up for, but they still need their snacks. So I'm on for M,T, and Th lunch, and snacks for all the days. Our local grocery sells subway sandwiches and other quick lunches. I'm going to start either stopping there on the way to school, or picking up their lunches Sunday at the store. Yes, I would RATHER drive to the grocery store to take care of their food needs than make them lunches. And they can pack their own snacks. The 13-year-old should pack all his own food but he often just doesn't take anything in those cases.

2. gently have a conversation with Creator about when he can/cannot sleep in our room. I was thinking maybe he can sleep in there on the weekends, but not weeknights. I just have a feeling he'll get his anxiety bouts when I try to get him to stay in his own room if I push too hard. I need Sexy's help on this topic, because I feel VERY guilty about making a boundary about this, I think because of his history with anxiety. I've always prided myself on having an open floor space for kids in my room. :-) I think it's because MY parents never allowed me in their room, and I have vivid memories of as child after a nightmare or freaky night-time thoughts, standing outside their bedroom door with my body pressed against their door and hoping to feel comforted by knowing they were in the room behind that door. Very sad memories. OK, let's be clear here - there is no way that my kids would feel like that. They've had annoyingly free access to our room their entire lives.

Driving kids to and fro is also horribly annoying to me, but I already try to work carpooling, Sexy helps, and I try to curtail outside activities. So. I just need to have lots of good podcasts ready for these drives.

Honestly, as long and self-pitying as this post is, there is plenty more I felt angry about! Holy cow! I literally am thinking of additional things that pull up frustration in me (helping with homework after 8pm the night before it is due, for example, while I am trying to read and someone needs urgent help....). It's like I need one of those signs, "procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

At this point, I think we can all be thankful that I only have 2 kids, and probably we all understand why numbing out in the evenings with wine was my go-to for the past 10 years..... :roll: I promise I'll keep going to therapy. 8)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Sat Sep 14, 2019 5:31 pm

Big hugs Auto, you are not alone with those feelings about parenthood and good for you voicing them.

I would definitely start to set boundaries around the bedroom.

Haven't got time for more now. Out with my son!


Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:42 pm

Auto,

Hair brings up so many things for people! Its really interesting. And aging too. I really struggled with that when I turned 40 and I was working with a bunch of 19 and 20 year olds. I bought all the face creams and anti aging stuff that I swore I would never be sucked in by. It was not pretty. But, I think I have mostly come out the other side. I am not supposed to look like a 20 year old because I am not 20! I have had 3 kids and this body has done lots of stuff and that is great! Our society just kind of seems to worship youth especially in women so that is tough.

I REALLY hear you on resenting having to make the food for the kids. It is my LEAST favorite part of being a parent. My kids all have different eating issues too and it is super stressful. I always make a weekly meal plan and I hate it with the passion of 1000 burning suns because it always feels like there is no way I can think of enough meals to fill a week. So something I did a few weeks ago that made a huge difference, was I sat down with a blank calendar and just worked my way through a meal plan for 4 weeks. Then I labeled the weeks 1-4 and posted it on the bulletin board. This has made a huge difference. Also, I want my kids to be healthy but I planned a lot of easier quicker meals for my own sanity. Sounds like you have a good plan for dealing with food for yourself and your family.

It sounds like you have had lots of good ideas about how to take care of yourself and setting boundaries. You can't be the best mom you can be if you aren't meeting your own needs and its good to model to your kids boundary setting and taking care of your needs. In my opinion anyway.

Also moms need to be more supportive of other moms! We need to be able to be like "hey parenting sucks sometimes" and have other moms (and dads) be like yeah it does! It's so weird how taboo this is in our culture.

I think its so great how you are realizing and voicing your feelings of anger. I think that is a form of self care that women often neglect.

Dalia negra
Posts: 276
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2018 10:48 am
Location: Barcelona (Spain)

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Dalia negra » Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:57 am

Auto, I feel very identified with you regarding the issue of children.
I only have one girl, but she constantly demands my attention and I feel very mentally exhausted. I surprise myself with thoughts like yours and then I feel very guilty for having them. But I think that is also part of motherhood and that it doesn't make us worse mothers. I hug you in the distance and support you.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Sep 15, 2019 4:27 pm

Soprano - thanks for always being supportive and accepting me despite my flaws! And the bedroom - sheesh, yes, need to fix this fast.

Pinkie - thank you for sharing so much! I love what you said about aging - about your struggle and your growth in that area. I want to be like you!
Re: food - I love your idea about planning for the entire month!!! I do one week at a time and really I'm just repeating a lot of things. So you have a calendar on a bulletin board? I use "google keep" for my menu but sometimes I wish I had something physical to look at. And thanks to you too for accepting me despite me admitting some not-very-pleasant feelings about being a mom. It means a lot. The support on this board never ceases to amaze me! We ARE women supporting women! (and Who's and Over43 are our token guys, haha).

Dalia - I think it's great that by admitting my uglies, I find that others have similar uglies and I am not a horrible person. Bringing our shame into the light helps heal it, I think. Hang in there with your daughter. How old is she? Oh! I just saw on your thread she is 9! And my Creator is 10! They are so fun at that age but never stop talking to us! Even my 13 year old gets going, going, going when he tells me about his video games.

Sunday, September 15
122.0
FBG: 98

Eating
B: coffee w/milk & half&half, handful of walnuts
1 cup bone broth
L: yogurt w/berries & banana slices
decaf coffee w/half&half
D: fried chicken and green beans
decaf coffee w/half&half
dessert: keto bark + dark chocolate peanut butter

Moving
still working to move every hour. read a blog about a lady that got rid of chairs, couches, regular beds. ha! she's crazy but it is a smart way to get more mobility into the days! I'm doing her exercises for a month or so - Nutritious Movement
Also plan to just go on my regular walk/jog today and get over 14k steps
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Sun Sep 15, 2019 5:06 pm

I'm on the way home now after spending the weekend in London with hubby, son and his girlfriend. Son is now 25 and living and working in the City he's doing really well and I am so proud of the man he has become.

We've all had a fantastic time together.

However life has not been smooth and perfect.

This was the child I worried would never learn to read and now devours books.

I have never known a fussier eater and many times he drove me to the brink with his refusal to eat what I had cooked which a week ago he loved but whilst still fussy is a healthy eater.

I despaired at the time he spent on the computer in his bedroom but his social skills and confidence in public are fantastic.

No he's not perfect now anymore or less than the rest of us but I believe because all of our parenting actions were out of love whether with hindsight were right or wrong we've come out the other side and still got a bond.

Just hang in there, enjoy as many moments as you can and don't stress the mistakes and bad thoughts.

Hope this helps.

It's all a phase and will pass :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:12 pm

Thank you Soprano! Sexy and I really are doing the best we can, but we are not perfect, our kids are not perfect, their teachers are not perfect, their friends are not perfect, their friends' parents are not perfect, their coaches are not perfect. Hun, you'd almost think that nobody's perfect and we just need to accept people the way they are! :lol:

Monday, September 16 (hair appt. is Thursday afternoon!!!)
121.6
FBG: 95

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, handful of walnuts & a bit of yogurt (BG 102 1 hr after)
1 cup bone broth
L: yogurt w/berries
D: Sexy made us roast beef sandwiches on keto bread (BG 1 hr: 95; 2 hours; 95 - oh yeah baby)
1 cup decaf coffee w/half & half

Moving - lots of goals today.
Nutritious Movement video
(will) clean 15 min
clean Master Bathroom
walk/jog w/HappyHerder
walk after lunch
move every hour at least 250 steps
hang on pull-up bar every time I walk by it. :-) No joke, just hanging is making me sore.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

jenji
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by jenji » Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:48 pm

I love cooking, yet even I have felt truly oppressed (not joking) by the lunch/snack packing. No one gets it unless they have to do it every day. My boyfriend didn't get why I'd be so angry when I was reaching for my backup, last ditch lunch option, PBJ, and I found out at the last moment that he'd eaten the last bit of peanut butter or bread for a midnight snack. I started labeling peanut butter "Do not eat!" and he was getting triggered with some disordered guilty eating habits. Not fun. Thank goodness my kid now eats school lunch, and I just throw some snack money at her. (She's in high school.) I heartily endorse anything that allows you to offload those duties. Can Sexy take over for a year of lunches?
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Tue Sep 17, 2019 6:23 am

I am not all caught up on your thread but wanted to say, i also really dislike making lunches for my kids. When they have school vacations thats the number one thing im excited about—not having to make them. Now Rosebud gets school lunches and sweetpea is happy if i throw just about anything into a brown bag for her so it’s finally getting more manageable but ugh, i get it!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:10 pm

Jen and Linda - I am not alone! :-) Thank you for both validating my frustrations. Our shared humanity makes it so much easier for me to do the work now. That is pretty cool! I'll be chuckling while I pack.

2 days until gray hair reveal. :shock:
update - just for fun today I chopped 6 inches off my hair, so now it is a cute bob above my shoulders. Hubby said he really likes it this length (meaning - please don't chop even more). But I am chopping even more. All of it so that only my natural color (or lack thereof) shows. I told him I welcome his feedback and I'll grow it out again to whatever length he likes.

Tuesday, September 17
122.8
FBG: 94

Eating
B: coffee w/half & half, handful walnuts & bite of yogurt
L: yogurt w/berries
D: 4 deviled eggs (8 halves, lol) + big salad with guac & cheese
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
hanging from bar
nutritional movement exercises
walk/jogging after lunch and dinner
moving every hour

15 min cleaning
zone - living room & entry

Got a Versa 2! It arrived today and I had fun setting it up. Can you even imagine all the fun graphs for HR and sleep I can have my students do? LOL.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Sep 18, 2019 1:36 pm

Wednesday, September 18
121.6
FBG: 88
morning BP: 114/69
Pulse: 67

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, bone broth, handful of walnuts & a bite of yogurt
L: yogurt w/berries (2 hours post meal - 114)
decaf coffee w/half&half
D: steak + green beans (pre - meal 105)
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Hanging from bar
Nutritious Movement video
Lots of steps
swimming with Creator
walk/jog after meals

Tomorrow is the big day. Super super short pixie cut + Gray Reveal.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Sep 19, 2019 2:35 pm

Thursday, Sept. 19
120.6
7am FBG: 101
Morning BP: 103/67

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half and milk
1 cup bone broth
L: yogurt w/berries (at work potluck)
D: roast beef sandwich
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Hung on bar
Nutritious movement exercises
walk/jog after meals
15K steps

Cleaning - been keeping track of this over on coach.me but maybe I'll start here too.
(will) clean for 15 min
(will) spend 15 min in zone - Master Bedroom

Hair appt after work today.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Thu Sep 19, 2019 4:11 pm

Okay finally had a chance to read back on some of your thread! I love that your embracing your gray. My neighbor did that recently and she looks great. I bet you will inspire other ppl to do the same and your sister can go take a hike. Your body, your choice.

As far as your tough day with your kids. I hope you know you are normal, normal, normal. All of those feelings are so normal. I could have written that exact post a few years ago. Mothering is exhausting! Sometimes feeling resentful about that makes perfect sense. Also, I’ve always hated when ppl tell me to “enjoy this time because it goes so fast”. Why do ppl say that? It does nothing for me but causes me stress!

Just to give you a little hope, things will get easier. I had that kid that slept in our room forever too and now I just give her a quick kiss gnight whenever I’m ready to go to sleep and that’s it.
It’s heavenly!

Anyway, I think it’s amazing how far you’ve come. I know it’s not easy feeling all those difficult feelings but you’re doing great.
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Fri Sep 20, 2019 2:02 pm

Good morning. Had a chance to read just a bit of your journal. Your honesty is so very refreshing. There is so little of it in this world of trying to look good from the outside. You inspire me to share more openly. I know that I struggle in life with wanting to show only the parts of me that I deem acceptable - both in body and personal characteristics. Being vulnerable opens up the door to such wonderful intimacy and sharing.

I like the way your journal is organized. Very tidy and consistent. :) What is nutritious movement?

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by oolala53 » Fri Sep 20, 2019 6:57 pm

Feeling a little overwhelmed to try to catch up, but wanted to say hi. Onwards to fall.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Sep 23, 2019 12:04 am

Thanks Linda! My gray is pretty wild!! I am way more gray than I had even realized! My family and friends are most shocked by the short length, I think - I practically got a buzz cut. Remind me to never tell a young mother "enjoy this time - it goes so fast!" maybe I could just tell people that their children are beautiful and fun to watch and leave it at that.

Alene - thanks for stopping by my thread! This thread is definitely a huge part of my "therapy"! I am more motivated to type regularly here than in a purely private place. If only Reinhard knew that this forum is vastly more than just about food. :-) Nutritious Movement is my newest mobility program. She has 30 min videos that are primarily about mobility and alignment.

And hello Oolala!

Sunday, September 22

Home from Ashland, OR! I flew down to watch "All's Well That Ends Well" at the Shakespeare Festival. :-)
Stayed with my oldest sister; we had a very relaxing time and the flights and travels were smooth. We also saw Downton Abbey - it was so excellent!!

Quick Food Recap:
Friday
B: blonde flat white latte, egg bites from Starbuck's
L: tortilla soup and some chips w/salsa
D: popcorn, diet coke
Lots of good walking

Saturday
B: hotel hot breakfast - 2 hard-boiled eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, coffee w/half&half
L: decaf coffee w/half&half
D: Japanese restaurant - beef & veggies, avocado salad
dessert: apple cider, chocolate chip cookie
Lots of good walking

Sunday
B: hotel hot breakfast - scrambled eggs w/asparagus & mushrooms; 3 sausage links, lots of coffee w/half&half
L: nothing
D: yogurt w/berries (yep, it was the first thing I fixed when I got home, haha)
Apparently our Keurig is broken so I guess I won't have decaf coffee tonight..... maybe I'll have chocolate for dessert
desserts: chocolate bark, taste testing two different kinds of chocolate almond bars.
not so much moving! I can't seem to get off the couch now that I'm home!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Mon Sep 23, 2019 5:32 am

Ooohh wish i could see your hair. I bet it looks great!! Sounds like you had a great time. So hsppy to hear!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Sep 23, 2019 10:59 pm

Thanks Linda! I really like my hair!

Monday, September 23
120.4
FBG: 108

Eating
B: coffee w/cream
1 cup bone broth
L: yogurt w/berries
D: (will be) fish and salad

Moving
Not much today.
I did do Nutritious Movement alignment video.
I hung from bar.
I moved every hour.
But I have a headache that makes the idea of going on a walk/jog not attractive whatsoever. (Update in April 2020 - these headaches are very often the night of/day after having chocolate!)

Cleaning
15 min clean - check
Master Bathroom - check

PersonalLearning
Listening to "Resilient" by Rick Hanson. So far I am liking it. He's very soothing to listen to.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by oolala53 » Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:40 am

Is Resilient a guided meditation or an audiobook? Tx
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Sep 24, 2019 9:44 pm

Hi Oolala! Resilient is an audiobook.

Tuesday, Sept 24

120.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
L: yogurt w/berries
1 cup bone broth
D: fish and deviled eggs

Moving
hang on bar/pull-ups (set up pull-up bar in my office doorway. Great fun for all my coworkers, too!
swimming w/Creator
walk/jog w/HappyHerder
15K steps

Very gratifying visit for my physical today! I loved getting to answer "NONE" when she asked how much alcohol I drink. Righteous! :wink: I got congratulated on losing over 20 pounds since last year, and my blood pressure was much lower this year. She wanted to know what I've done diet wise and I shared a little. Most important, I asked for the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) prescription. She said she can't give those but she did give me a referral to an endocrinologist to get that. Another hoop, but I'm willing to jump in order to get the data-fest that a CGM will bring. :mrgreen: Can you imagine how fun that will be for me? :lol: :lol:

First day with students. Had a great time. My goal is to really ENJOY my students this quarter. Fun stuff!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:30 pm

Wednesday, September 25

120.0
FBG: 95
Morning BP: 111/60
Pulse: 64

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
1 cup bone broth
D: lost my appetite when HappyHerder got suddenly sick. I was suddenly filled with fears, sadness, and anger over dealing with his repeated illnesses. He seems to have stabilized. While we were waiting to see if he got better or worse or what, I had hubby keep an eye on him and I went upstairs and took a "crying" bath. I worked my damn Change Triangle and processed. Ended up also crying about an episode when I was 12 and basically beat my dog, which had repeatedly run away from home and my mom was threatening to get rid of her. I spanked her so hard when I finally caught her and have lived with the regret and self-hate since. There. I wrote it down. And then used one of my counselor's techniques where I had my adult self step into the situation. My 12-year old self was hauling the dog up the hill, holding on to her collar and spanking her. I approached and sweet little Trina (my boxer) turned her little black muzzle to me and wiggled her butt with glee. 12 year old me collapsed into sobs and actually let me comfort her (this is unusual when I try this technique - usually she pushes me away). Anyway, my 12yo self was so upset!! Afraid she'd lose her dog, and unable to teach her to stop running out the front door. Poor kid and poor dog. But Trina was so forgiving, wiggling at me and ready to wiggle at younger me - all forgiveness. The innocence and sweetness of that dog makes it all the worse. But it happened. And I've regretted it for 30 years. And eventually my mom did get rid of Trina - she actually took her to the vet and had her killed. On MLKJr day, 1989. That dog got me through my sister's teen pregnancy, slept under the covers with me every night. She truly was my emotional support animal. Anyway, so another hurrah for the Change Triangle. Sad stuff in there, but I feel a weight off my shoulders.

Moving
short walk this morning with HappyHerder
Hang on bar
long walk/jog w/HappyHerder after teaching
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Thu Sep 26, 2019 4:31 am

Oh I don’t even know what to say. I’m in tears over here thinking of how painful that all was and is for you. I can definitely understand your 12 year old self must have felt so powerless in that situation and just wanted to do something to make sure she didn’t lose her beloved companion.

Im so upset your mom threatened you with the loss of the one thing that gave you comfort and worse she went through with it. All so heartbreaking and I can really understand now why all the dog stuff has been extra emotional for you. I’m so glad you were able to face your painful feelings and my hope for you is that you can forgive yourself and let go. We all have done stuff we’re not proud of. Being human is hard.

Biggest of ****Hugs****
Linda 💜💜💜
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Thu Sep 26, 2019 2:05 pm

Auto, I'm so sorry about your dear pup. That sounds like such a difficult experience. Thank you for sharing it with us. I hope it helps to release the burden. I'd love to hear more about the process you used.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Sep 26, 2019 2:34 pm

Linda and Alene - thank you for your kindness. I wrote that entry right before bed last night and woke up with that vulnerable naked feeling of - omg I shared too much. But somehow this group still always accepts me. Thank you. And yeah, Linda, I think my dear little boxer goes to the heart of my dog connections.
Alene - I will write more about the Change Triangle and some other things I'm practicing tonight. Here's to great teaching days for both of us. :-)

Thursday, Sept. 26

118.2
FBG: 101

Eating
B: decaf coffee w/half&half (broken keurig), 1 cup bone broth
americano w/half&half
L: yogurt w/berries
D: beef bowl w/onions, cheese, guacamole and some tortilla chips
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
walk/jog
hang on bar
swimming w/Creator
Nutritious Movement planned

PersonalLearning
I'm LOVING my audible book Resilient. The author is soothing and practical and I feel like he really cares about me!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

jenji
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by jenji » Thu Sep 26, 2019 3:20 pm

So many of us can relate to what you posted about your sweet dog. For me, it is when I felt scared and worried during my divorce, and I yelled at my kid for breaking off the faucet in our shower. I am confident that you were the very best dog parent that you could be to Trina, and that she forgave your flaws. Glad you found the change triangle, which sounds kind of magical. I'm googling it now.
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by oolala53 » Thu Sep 26, 2019 6:50 pm

I had a meditation book from the library for a few weeks. The author said at certain advanced stages of meditation, all kinds of old experiences can arise and the body will go through different things- shaking, burning, cold, crying, etc. Being able to stay with the difficulties is part of what the early stages are for. They should not be pushed away, though also not perpetuated with recycling the event unless it happens on its own. He claims that when adequately gone through, the old triggers are neutralized. Often, the body will go through these things without any conscious memory of the original experience.

Sounds like you are getting through some good stuff even without having had to sit still in silence for hours on end!

I wonder if your therapy would support imagining what your mother was going through when she made her threat. Maybe we have to just stick with ourselves?
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Sep 27, 2019 3:28 am

Thank you Jen. Your words are like a balm to me. Means a lot.

Oolala, definitely each time I've processed a painful memory (in these recent months of therapy), I've felt the old trigger slide away (kind of like a tight muscle that finally loosens). It's so gratifying. What was unique about this particular memory was that it was about something I have great remorse over. So it's been a new experience and really was harder to face than other things I've been processing. I've had the memory of that day pop up multiple times in recent months, but last night I finally allowed myself to ... go there...

Here's the link describing the Change Triangle:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... e-triangle

That's just a synopsis of the book that I adored, and read twice this summer:
It's Not Always Depression.
(note - the title, in my opinion, is not great. It's really all about tuning in to our bodies to identify emotions. The other key for me is that when we feel anxious, we are often trying to inhibit core emotions)

The author (and my counselor) encourage a technique where I have a nurturing figure (I use my current self but once I used my first grade teacher) approach my younger self in the situation and provide what the younger self needs. This has been tricky for me. My younger self is often very ... walled off from me. It's been a little weird. Anyway, this is all a little woo-woo but it has definitely been useful for me. And Creator, since he's only 10, has been soaking up all these new emotion techniques. Challenger is um... not so interested. And Sexy generally tends to humor me. And all my students - little do they know they are my guinea pigs at being more present with them, a better listener, more empathetic. :-) Hehe, I'm actually the student!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Fri Sep 27, 2019 2:01 pm

Auto, thanks for sharing about the change triangle. So much interesting stuff in these last posts! I will have to look into the audio book and the other book you mentioned. I love that you're practicing on your students! What subject do you teach?

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Sep 27, 2019 2:28 pm

Good morning, Alene! I teach science - most of the time Anatomy & Physiology or Microbiology, but others too. I'm experimenting with no formal exams or quizzes (2nd quarter doing this) but I meet with students regularly for feedback, so I feel like I'm halfway a counselor now. :-)

Friday, Sept. 27
119.8
FBG: 91 (long evening walks seem to help bring this down - I'm starting to see a pattern)

Eating
B: bone broth, walnuts, will get a coffee after my first class!
L: (will be) yogurt w/berries
D: (will be)

Moving
short walk/jog this morning
hopefully lots more
will hang lots (bar at home and work now - also do pull-ups of course, but more hanging/swinging)
Nutritious Movement - want to do that

SomethingCoolToShare
So - here's another piece of evidence that I'm actually making "connection" progress, which is my ultimate goal. Challenger is grounded for 1 week from his phone. He is livid and irrational and hates us and says we are ruining his life. Sexy and I have been talking lots to figure out how to best parent this child. This morning he came and told me that last night, after I was asleep, he'd had a conversation with Challenger and has agreed to give him back his phone tomorrow night (for a party he's going to). I must have been triggered, because I had an immediate desire to say - but you just told me LAST NIGHT that we've been too soft on him all these years and we need to hold firm. But, unlike even 6 months ago, I held my tongue and noticed that I was having a LOT of fear bubbling up. That was my trigger - fear that we are not going to be able to keep connection with Challenger through his teen years. My eyes even welled up with tears a bit - this is significant because it meant I was "feeling a feeling" while still in connection with someone else (this is tricky for me). Sexy shared more of the conversation and I did my best to validate him non-judgementally. So the victory here, btw, is not anything about Challenger, per se, it was in my responses (rather than reactions) to Sexy. That is progress.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:25 pm

Ha! I just read the last of yesterday's morning entry. Right after that Challenger was incessantly bullying Creator and I just LOST it. I told him he was being a jerk to his brother, I sarcastically asked him if he's ever nice to anyone? - then I told him to sit in the backseat and not talk on the way to school. He loved seeing me lose it - he definitely won that battle. Poor Creator was caught in the middle of it all and it was all horrible. So then I dropped them off at school and had to go teach immediately. Ugh, but I got through it.
Came home and wanted to particularly soothe Creator - who I discovered was now giving me the silent treatment, too. I was just completely off my rocker - told Sexy I needed to leave for a while. I took the dog on a long walk and then went out to a movie by myself. I ate popcorn, peanut m&m's, and diet coke. I came home after everyone was asleep (on purpose). I slept on the couch. I was mad at Sexy too, is part of what I realized - for not supporting me enough with these kids.

I woke up much calmer. Talked with Sexy and we agreed he will be in charge of taking the kids to school every day next week, while we try to get Challenger's behavior back under control (I will not deny the thrill of pleasure that I get knowing that he will have to handle the mornings for an entire week). We met with each kid and went over chores again (weekend and weekday chores, which have not been getting done recently). We specified clear consequences for Challenger if/when he is unkind to Creator.

I obviously didn't handle this whole fiasco like Mister Rogers would (his movie is coming out in November - yes, yes!!!!!!!! I even cried just watching the preview), but I did my best and I think going away by myself was actually a good thing - I really was in no emotional state to interact with my kids or husband. Learning when I am in the red zone and need to get away is important. My typical response would be to PRETEND I'm not in the red zone but still be reactionary covertly (is that passive aggressive? I guess it is).

And now this morning I got a latte and had a donut. I'm not testing my blood sugar. :roll:

Oh, and I'm going to buy a new phone this morning - Samsung Galaxy S9. Can anyone say "dopamine hit"?

Eating
B: latte, donut, americano w/cream
L: 1 piece pizza, 2 cookies
D: Lamb coconut curry, diet coke

Moving
Back hurting again. :-( I feel like just a few weeks ago this happened (update - thanks to this journal I was able to go back and find that it was June 13th that my back was hurting, and that I was pretty sure it was from climbing.) This week I have been pushing it pretty hard, lots of swinging on the bar, Nutritious Movement videos, and probably too much jogging on hard surfaces while HappyHerder yanks me on the leash when he sees rabbits......
I did do some mowing and other cleaning, but I don't want to risk a walk/jog. I will listen to my body and baby my lower back for a few days.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Sun Sep 29, 2019 2:51 pm

Sorry you had a rough time but I think it’s awesome that you recognized you needed some space and removed yourself from the situation so you could regroup. Sounds like you just needed some self-care and you were able to come back with fresh eyes and handle it in a way that felt better to you. I love that you and sexy are acting like a team and really seem to be on the same page with parenting. It’s hard to see it now but your kids will thank you some day for all your thoughtful parenting.

Hugs and sorry about your back! 💜
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Sep 29, 2019 4:26 pm

Thanks Linda. Sexy and I are mostly on the same page, ha! He wasn't thrilled that I want him to drive the kids, but he's doing it. And he gave Challenger back his phone without first talking with me about it, but I've done that sort of thing too. We really do try to be united, but Challenger is excellent at finding weak spots! :lol: Did I tell you he wants to be a doctor? You're probably not surprised. He's incredibly determined to "win" at life. Sigh. I wish I could tell you he wants to be a doctor to help sick people...... but he is only 13, and I love him with my life. I think he's beautiful and insightful, and honest and courageous and funny. My Challenger.

Sunday, Sept. 29
122.4
FBG: 103

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, bone broth
L: latte, 1 cookie, leftover lamb curry and rice, diet coke
D: 4 cookies, tortilla chips & guacamole, diet coke
plan to have some ice cream.....
quite a wild S Day.

Moving
Making sure to move every hour, hang on the bar, find positions that seem to ease the back pain. I want to keep moving it, but not over doing it.
Update - back pain is annoying!!!!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Oct 02, 2019 12:10 am

Monday, Sept 30
Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
D: salmon w/veggies

Tuesday, Oct. 1
Eating
B: coffee w/half& half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
D: beef salad bowl w/guac, etc.
1 cup bone broth

Moving
Trying to do lots of gentle walking and working standing at desk/counter. Sleeping positions difficult but today definite improvement in back pain noted.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Wed Oct 02, 2019 4:45 am

Sorry about your back pain. That really is miserable!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Oct 02, 2019 2:32 pm

Thanks Linda. I've got really noticeable improvement today. Now I'm just obsessed with the idea of never going through this again.

I got my awesome new phone (Samsung Galaxy S10) and I have to laugh that one of my favorite improvements is that my smart scale app works much better. Ha! The little things. And my audible and fitbit and other apps are much more responsive now. I had a one of the free phones and it was pretty old and very very slow. I still don't get how all of you type on here using your phones. LOL, maybe because no one else writes a novel like I do. :roll:

So.

Wednesday, Oct. 2
121.4

Eating
B: coffee w/milk, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
D: date night - steak salad + decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
Again, trying to type at the counter - no sitting - and lots of gentle walking and a little careful bar-hanging.
Also, squatting against wall for typing variation. Ha! I'm crazy.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

minimizer
Posts: 450
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:49 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by minimizer » Thu Oct 03, 2019 3:34 am

I know of this Nutritious Movement of which you speak. It's crazy interesting! :)

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Thu Oct 03, 2019 1:36 pm

Auto, I'm glad your back is on the mend. That is miserable. Yay for new phones! Have fun with it. :)

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Oct 03, 2019 7:13 pm

Thanks alene. :-) And minimizer, I've been enjoying the Nutritious Movement because if focuses on one joint at a time (mostly) - whereas yoga asks good alignment of me for multiple joints at once, and then I end up sort of cheating to get into the pose. If that makes sense....

Thursday, Oct 3
121.2

Eating
B: coffee w/milk
L: yogurt w/berries, walnuts
another coffee w/milk, a cup of collagen protein, a cup of decaf coffee w/cream
fail - gave in to 3 cookies
D: salmon cakes - could only eat part of one.
decaf coffee w/half & half

not sure where these cravings are coming from. I kind of think it's related to my back pain and feeling sorry for myself. Also, alcohol cravings are back, which makes me think it's more important to give in to cookies instead of wine; lesser of two evils at the moment. Anyway, I'm not feeling great about my overall dopamine-seeking drive. I'm like an animal casting about, restless for satisfaction.

When I first quit drinking (in April), I knew that being alcohol-free had to be my top priority. I allowed myself to sleep extra, eat more sugar/ice cream, etc., be more lazy, take more baths. I was gentle on myself. As time went on, being alcohol-free got easier, I got back on track with NoS, and gradually was doing more than ever - more exercise, more cleaning, more cooking, more reading to kids, etc., etc. Things were pretty productive! But I have to say - things have shifted inside me to a weaker spot. I feel fragile. And I really really want to drink wine. I think I need to be very very curious about this. Just the knowledge that I want the wine makes me wonder what is driving this craving? There have been a series of stressors - none extreme but I guess they've been additive: school starting (we are 2 weeks in now), hurting my back last weekend, conflicts with my kids and a little bit with my husband. The back injury has sidelined my cleaning and so the messy house is also a stressor. My natural inclination is to avoid the uncomfortable emotions of the stress with alcohol. It's the quick and easy (short-term) solution.

Moving
Still just working on gentle walking, minimal sitting, reasonable bar-hang
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:21 am

Stupid back. Maybe it’s time to be really easy in yourself again for a bit. You’ve also done a heck of a lot of emotional work too which can be exhausting. Hope you start to feel better soon!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:16 pm

Thanks Linda. I think we both need some decompression time. I hope your cruise is refreshing and glorious!

Friday, October 4th! (It's my 43rd birthday)
121.4

Eating
B: coffee w/half & half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
D: no idea - perhaps I'll just drink a bottle of wine for dinner (haha just kidding)
had a bowl of soup and then the fam surprised me with cake. I had 2 pieces of oreo ice cream cake.
decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
I do have a birthday walk with co-workers planned, but it seems like as I've gotten a little better this week, I've tried to doing a bit more each day and then my back is hurting more. I feel forced to take it easy.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:35 pm

Happy happy birthday!!🎂🎁🎉🎈

Hope you have a wonderful day!!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

User avatar
Octavia
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:01 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Octavia » Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:12 pm

Happy birthday Auto! 💐🎂🥳

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Fri Oct 04, 2019 11:25 pm

Sorry I have been MIA! I just caught up to all you wrote. I had a very similar situation with my cat as you had with your dog when I was probably about 12 and I always felt guilty about it. Mine was because he kept going to the bathroom under my bed and my parents had told me if he kept doing that we were getting rid of him. I desperately wanted him to stop because I didn't want to get rid of him. He was a stray that my dad had brought home.

Anyway, sounds tough with your Challenger and his phone. I know that pain. Any time we take the phone away from our 16 year old it is a little scary the force of her reaction.

I really hope that your back starts feeling better soon. Back pain can definitely be hard to deal with.

Anyway,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you are enjoying it and having a wonderful day! Now we are the same age! :D 43 has been a great year for me, I hope it is for you as well. <3 I

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Oct 05, 2019 3:52 pm

Thanks Linda and Octavia! I had a great birthday!

Thanks Pinkie for writing about your cat - it's nice to not be alone in our mistakes, shared humanity and all that. It wasn't until I really got into sort of reliving the experience that I recognized just how much processing I had to do in order to move on.

And my silly back. I am going to try to take really good care of it. BUT I also need to clean this filthy home after a week of not doing anything. Sigh.

Saturday, October 5th

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, 2 eggs, 2 bacon slices
after cleaning for 3.5 hours, I rewarded myself with a baggie of Reese's and another coffee w/half&half
then split a Reese's peanut butter cup (yep, fam knows what I like) with Creator. I ate my half right away, he nibbled a bit and then got distracted. He still has an inner balance to his food desires. But now it's sitting there, talking to me about how creamy it is. You go be creamy on the counter in the corner facing away with a paper towel hiding you, silly peanut butter cup! You are NOT all that. Oh, no. I'm talking to myself again today. Actually, now I'm talking to inanimate objects, like half-eaten peanut butter cups. I guess it's been a tough week. :roll:
L: yogurt w/berries
D: a few jo-jos (these are like french fries)
decaf coffee w/half&half

Still struggling with cravings of all kinds. I think a bit of (careful) cleaning will put me in a better headspace. I'm thinking the back pain derailed me far more than I'd like to admit. Not only did it put me in pain throughout the week, but it also meant no mind-clearing or endorphin-producing walks and having HappyHerder look at me mournfully. It wasn't just the growing chaos of my house, but that I had no escape.

Oh, and Sexy got me a giant bag of Reese's pieces for my birthday. Please help me not eat the whole bag. Strategies include:
*separating it into freezer bags (this is genius - go Auto! Yes I'm talking to myself) and freezing in portions for the weekends ahead
*freely sharing with the gobble-monsters that I live with
*out of sight in the freezer

PersonalFUNReading
Shout out to the Londoners - I just finished reading Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and I loved it! Such a fun book. Now reading a different style of fun (Diane Setterfield Once Upon A River - I loved her book The Thirteenth Tale), and then next I will read "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. When I find an author I like, I always take a break in between novels, both to savor and not to overdo so that I don't appreciate the good stuff.

Goals for Today:
Clean all day, moving slowly, bending carefully. My house needs to be reasonably clean or I seriously don't think I can function normally. Update on this: 3.5 hours whipped things into shape, although I didn't get everything done. Definitely feel calmer when the house is clean. I know a messy house affects some people greatly; but this week showed me that it affects me more than I like to admit.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Oct 06, 2019 3:11 pm

Sunday, October 6

I kind of don't even look forward to or enjoy S Days anymore. I often prefer just to eat my yogurt for lunch like a regular day, or at least feel better if I make that choice. I really LIKE the food I eat on my N Days, and I feel good before, during, and after eating it. Unlike how I feel even DURING and after eating sweets. I do really still enjoy some crazy carbalicious meals such as Indian food and Mexican food. And I seem to feel fine afterwards too (other than the blood sugar spike). Maybe THOSE are the meals I need to put into my S Days, not sweets.

Here's a thought - cravings are sometimes related to ... giving in to cravings. Just like addiction. So if I have a few wild S Days, then I just want more of the same the following week.

Look at what the following counselor - led programs have in common:
dealing with alcohol addiction - never drink alcohol again
dealing with food addiction - never eat that particular food again
dealing with binge eating - never binge again

Maybe this is overly simplistic, and I know there is the counter-complex psychology of our inner rebel, but I think I've reached the point where I don't have extreme rebellion to health(ier) eating.

What I still enjoy about S Days is not worrying about things. So if I normally wouldn't have french fries for dinner, but those are available, I'll eat them. No harm, no foul. And if I do REALLY want some Reese's, I can have some Reese's. Hmmmm, maybe I'm transitioning to a more "1 S" on S days, rather than multiple S's.

Well, we'll see. Just because I'm contemplating all of this does not, let me repeat (haha), does not mean I'm actually tightening my S Day rules. Just contemplating on this pretty fall morning.

My back feels pretty good this morning! But now I seem to be fighting a cold! Unlike in my drinking days, I heeded the warning calls (in this case, a sore throat), and according to my fitbit I was asleep by 8:45! And slept until 7 - so definitely trying to take care of myself. Glad I got the house (mostly) in order yesterday. Today I'll just take Creator to the Skate Park and watch a lot of football. :-) Well, and do school prep and feedback.

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half (it's so wonderful having our Keurig back)
L: walnuts, yogurt w/berries
D: Mexican food - This could be a fun tradition during football season - there's a little take-out place in our grocery store. Update - ate 3 street tacos, a slice of chicken quesadillas
dessert: (will be) a baggie of Reese's pieces
(will have) decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Just continuing my back rehab -- tons of gentle walking, not too much sitting, lots of bar hangs and squats.

I'm back - I really feel a "click" inside me that what I ENJOY is good meals (not sweets). The good food is enjoyable in anticipation, during the eating, and how I feel afterwards and during the night. Sweets are only good in anticipation - during and after I don't feel good. So. I just looked up a slow cooker for Indian lamb curry (one of my favorite meals, but it is expensive to get take-out) - I could make this on Saturdays or Sundays in the slow cooker! And then we could do Mexican food on one of those days. So I'd be having "S's" in the sense that these foods are not good for my blood sugar control, but I love them. I'm not sure if this is wild of me to plan .... but for some reason this feels right at the moment. It also appeals to me in that the kids love this stuff, too, unlike on N days when I make them spaghetti and me beef salad bowl. So easy in that sense, too. And if I practiced, this could be easy prep, yes? Slow cooker?
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by oolala53 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:52 am

You're navigating a lot of straits- good job, really!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Oct 08, 2019 3:31 am

Thanks Oolala!

Monday, October 7
122.4

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, collagen w/MCT oil
L: taco salad (lunch with a friend)
D: yogurt w/berries

Moving
Lots of walking, back doing OK. I'm just careful.
Over 15K steps today, lots of bar hangs, some squats

Busy day - good counseling session, lunch with a friend, and the rest of the day I worked from home giving hours and hours of feedback for my "gradeless" class. :-) I calculate it takes me 10 hours to do the weekly feedback. It's enjoyable, at least.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Oct 09, 2019 12:52 am

Tuesday, October 8

122.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
MCT oil + collagen chocolate drink
D: beef salad bowl w/guac, cheese & sour cream
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Back feeling good today.
got in a couple good walks and a short slow jog
swam w/Creator (who brought a friend today so I spent more time in the steam room, ah)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
liveitup
Posts: 265
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:17 am
Location: California

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by liveitup » Wed Oct 09, 2019 2:51 am

Happy belated birthday Auto! Thanks for all the support in these forums!

🎂🎂🎂
BMI March 2021: 28
Using NoS to eliminate emotional eating.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Oct 09, 2019 2:05 pm

Thanks liveitup!

Wednesday, October 9

120.4

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
collagen protein + MCT oil drink
D: pork chop
decaf coffee w/half&half when I finally get home tonight. Lots of kid things going on until late.

I've got a cold, which is a bummer. On the bright side, I am pretty sure I have not been sick since spring 2018. Can you believe that? Like 18 months! Call me superstitious, but I credit my yogurt and a reduction in grains, particularly wheat. I'm one of those people that consistently and predictably got nasty snotty colds 3-4 times a year. I'd joke to my classes that it always happens and so I build into the schedule one day for me to stay home sick each quarter. My family teases me that I have a poor immune system. And so this is mighty awesome to realize how long it's been. It's been coming on slowly since Saturday night. Now that I have a fitbit, it's interesting to see that my resting HR gradually rose since then, from about 64 to this morning, when it is 70! Also, during my jogs this week, I've noticed my HR way higher than normal. I can see how experts could use very subtle cues to fine tune athlete workouts based on their recovery level. Obviously I should be taking it easy, which I am, but still moving, just more gently.

Moving
Still plan to get my 13,500k steps today (that's my daily goal), through mostly walking.
Hang on bar and try to get 500 steps/hour between 6am and 9pm.
I got like 19k steps today!

Pat My Own Back
You know, my husband and my kids are near-daily making cookies, having ice cream, making brownies, eating french fries -- all in front of me. Worse, then the leftovers are hanging around tempting me on the counters and in tupperwares, etc. I don't talk about those temptations here on this thread that often, but I think it might be good for others to know that you CAN reach a point where it doesn't ruin an N Day to have offerings of delight everywhere you look. Same rules, just constant reinforcement of "No Sweets Today". LOL, perhaps my "Avoid sweets on N days" willpower muscle is gigantic because of my family's "training system." Harumph! I'd still prefer to NOT have it around.
Additionally, I limit grains, and no one else in my family does. So I cook spaghetti for everyone, I buy McDonald's and pizza for my kids, I make quesadillas for them, I bake breaded fish for them, etc.
Despite this being our family pattern for well over a year, I still have to remain vigilant. It's not hard, necessarily, but it does require some willpower. My wild weekends are sometimes when I let down my guard and eat what everyone else is eating.
Anyway, I just wanted to sort of pat my own back about how seriously I've taken my health in the past year. It's paid off in spades, but it certainly has required dedication.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:58 pm

Well done auto sometimes we don't pat our own back enough. You should be really proud.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Thu Oct 10, 2019 11:26 pm

I have the same situation of temptation with my own family, although I don't limit grains. My husband eats ice cream almost EVERY night! Sometimes I resist, sometimes I don't. Good for you for being able to keep your N days successful!

Wow that is a lot of steps! I'm impressed. I think my record is 13K steps.

Your" gradeless" class sounds so interesting!

Also, I love a lot of Neil Gaimans books! I don't think I have read Neverwhere but I have read American Gods. Good stuff!

I have been really into mysteries lately, after taking a very long break from them after I had kids. What kind of books do you like to read generally?

User avatar
liveitup
Posts: 265
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:17 am
Location: California

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by liveitup » Fri Oct 11, 2019 3:33 am

Are you limiting all grains or just wheat?
BMI March 2021: 28
Using NoS to eliminate emotional eating.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Oct 11, 2019 1:10 pm

Thanks Soprano! 8)

Pinkie, I have American Gods next up on my Kindle! :-) I like to read all kinds of books. I love literary books that have a bit of psychological twist - State of Wonder by Ann Patchett was a favorite, and more recently I finished The Thirteenth Tale and loved it. As you know, I read prolifically non-fiction. Usually nutrition/exercise/lifestyle, education, memoirs, or psychology and brain science.
I actually really enjoy a lot of silly modern fantasy (hence I loved Neverwhere) - I am waiting for the 6th book in the Desert Cursed Series (Witch's Reign is the first book) by Shannon Mayer. It's super silly, light-hearted, and perfect at bedtime.
Interestingly, I do NOT read many mysteries, unless you count psychological thrillers, which I do enjoy.
Now you got me talking books, I'll never stop. :lol:

Liveitup, thank you for inviting me up onto my soap box of grain limitations. :lol: 8)
I limit all grains, but especially wheat. Rice, oats, and wheat (the worst for me) have shockingly horrible effects on my blood sugar. Corn does too, but not as badly. Since limiting my grains in summer 2018, I have lost over 20 pounds, regulated my postprandial blood sugars, dropped my blood pressure by 30 points systolic, never have a day (or even a moment) of GI discomfort (and don't ever have gas anymore, eat your hearts out all), and my joints feel so much better that I took up running (well, walk/jogging, as you all know). My poor knees have hurt since high school, and so you can imagine my surprise to have the pain go away and me feel good enough to jog (starting last October). I probably should keep grains totally out of my diet, but I get lazy (and tempted by cookies). And now there I go, going on about a favorite topic. :lol:

Friday! October 11

119.2

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, 1 hard boiled-egg
L: yogurt w/berries
D: cheeseburger w/pork rind bun, guacamole, cheese, pickles, bacon, onion
decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
Aiming for gentle movement all the day long - 500 steps/hour, with a goal of 13.5K for the day.
Hang/swing on bar + pull-ups
My friend talked me into considering "band" workouts. She thought it would be the kind of thing I might get into for resistance training that also helps with mobility.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Fri Oct 11, 2019 5:10 pm

automatedeating wrote:
Fri Oct 11, 2019 1:10 pm
Thanks Soprano! 8)

Pinkie, I have American Gods next up on my Kindle! :-) I like to read all kinds of books. I love literary books that have a bit of psychological twist - State of Wonder by Ann Patchett was a favorite, and more recently I finished The Thirteenth Tale and loved it. As you know, I read prolifically non-fiction. Usually nutrition/exercise/lifestyle, education, memoirs, or psychology and brain science.
I actually really enjoy a lot of silly modern fantasy (hence I loved Neverwhere) - I am waiting for the 6th book in the Desert Cursed Series (Witch's Reign is the first book) by Shannon Mayer. It's super silly, light-hearted, and perfect at bedtime.
Interestingly, I do NOT read many mysteries, unless you count psychological thrillers, which I do enjoy.
Now you got me talking books, I'll never stop. :lol:

Liveitup, thank you for inviting me up onto my soap box of grain limitations. :lol: 8)
I limit all grains, but especially wheat. Rice, oats, and wheat (the worst for me) have shockingly horrible effects on my blood sugar. Corn does too, but not as badly. Since limiting my grains in summer 2018, I have lost over 20 pounds, regulated my postprandial blood sugars, dropped my blood pressure by 30 points systolic, never have a day (or even a moment) of GI discomfort (and don't ever have gas anymore, eat your hearts out all), and my joints feel so much better that I took up running (well, walk/jogging, as you all know). My poor knees have hurt since high school, and so you can imagine my surprise to have the pain go away and me feel good enough to jog (starting last October). I probably should keep grains totally out of my diet, but I get lazy (and tempted by cookies). And now there I go, going on about a favorite topic. :lol:

Friday! October 11

119.2

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, walnuts
L: (will be) yogurt w/berries
collagen protein + MCT oil drink
D: (will be) leftover pork and salad
decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
Aiming for gentle movement all the day long - 500 steps/hour, with a goal of 13.5K for the day.
Hang/swing on bar + pull-ups
My friend talked me into considering "band" workouts. She thought it would be the kind of thing I might get into for resistance training that also helps with mobility.

Yay book talk!

I love to read all kinds of things too but I notice that I get into "moods" and I get down into a genre and stay for a while. I also am a huge reader of non fiction books. And like you, lots of exercise, nutrition, psychology/self help type books. I will have to check the books you mentioned out. Have you ever read the Wheel of time series by Robert Jordan? It's not really silly modern fantasy but it is good fantasy. Its 13 books long though. :) I also liked Brandon Sanderson Stormlight Archive series which is ongoing. But, those are pretty heavy duty fantasy books. If you like silly fantasy have you read Stardust by Neil Gaiman? Its been a long time since I read it but I remember loving its light sometimes funny tone.

RIght now I am working my way through Sue Grafton Alphabet mysteries, I am about to read the "V" book. I like to take breaks between my books as well. And I am reading a favorite author I discovered called Louise Penny, her Inspector Gamache mysteries. I love the character development in both series, as well as the psychology of having conversations and interactions with people and being able to figure out "who done it".

Anyway, yep I could talk books forever. :)

That is interesting about the wheat and so great that it helped you in so many ways once you limited it. I kind of feel the same way about refined sugar but apart from a few years not eating any refined sugar, I have not reached that level of limitation again.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Oct 12, 2019 3:39 pm

Pinkie, YES I read the Wheel of Time.... until I don't know like book 8 or 9. I did enjoy them, but eventually..... just too much for my attention span.

So far I've ONLY read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, which is why I was so excited. I really liked it and can't wait to read more of his books! Stardust will definitely be on my list.

Saturday, October 12

119.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, collagen protein + MCT
L: yogurt w/berries
S's: remaining Reese's pieces from my birthday + diet coke
D: wasn't hungry - just had decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
I'm in a "weekend warrior" fitbit challenge with my sister, so I think I'll go for 15 k steps today. - made it to 17k!
Did lots of walking, but also enjoyed getting back into Nutritious Movement. I haven't done it since I hurt my back. I also did one my "Elements" workouts, which was playing around with walking and doing quick spins without losing balance.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Oct 13, 2019 1:18 pm

Sunday, October 13

118.8

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, collagen proteins + MCT oil
L: yogurt w/berries
D: liver, onions & bacon
bone broth - 2 cups
S's today will be: Reese's pieces, a banana
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Aiming for 15K steps today - got 20K
want to do Nutritious Movement - today is a hip alignment workout.
Vitamin Week 2, Day 2 - so fun! It was a frogger-type move in a squat and then I did some spins and then worked into a partial handstand. Love this program! Not sure why I let it go for so long.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:13 pm

automatedeating wrote:
Sat Oct 12, 2019 3:39 pm
Pinkie, YES I read the Wheel of Time.... until I don't know like book 8 or 9. I did enjoy them, but eventually..... just too much for my attention span.

So far I've ONLY read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, which is why I was so excited. I really liked it and can't wait to read more of his books! Stardust will definitely be on my list.

Saturday, October 12

119.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, collagen protein + MCT
L: yogurt w/berries
S's: remaining Reese's pieces from my birthday + diet coke
D: wasn't hungry - just had decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
I'm in a "weekend warrior" fitbit challenge with my sister, so I think I'll go for 15 k steps today. - made it to 17k!
Did lots of walking, but also enjoyed getting back into Nutritious Movement. I haven't done it since I hurt my back. I also did one my "Elements" workouts, which was playing around with walking and doing quick spins without losing balance.
I know what you mean about Wheel of Time and attention. It is a lot! Also, I feel like with books that are epic series like that, at least one or two books are just not very good or interesting as they plod through the necessary parts to connect the plot. My husband loves those books so I had motivation to read them all. :) Definitely check out Stardust! :)

I see you have yogurt with berries for lunch a lot. What kind of yogurt?

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:06 pm

Good morning everyone!

Hi Pinkie - You have asked another question that gets me, shall we say, overly excited? :lol: I have such a thing for yogurt, and especially local dairy cows. I'm always visiting working farms, and sometimes I have the farmers come speak to my microbiology classes (about things like pasteurization and state and federal laws for milk safety, etc.). Anyway, I (already) digress. :-)

My FAVORITE brand is called Alexander. A lot of their family lives right here in my neck of the woods (Northern Wa), but their cows are in Crescent Valley, CA. They are big on the forefront of sustainable agriculture and using ruminants to keep the soil and environment healthy, etc. Their cows are A2/A2 (mostly Jerseys and Gurnseys, that produce a theoretically less allergenic type of casein), and their yogurt is 6% milkfat. I also buy their milk and half&half products, which are what I put in my coffee. The yogurt is (per cup) 14g fat, 10g carb, 8g protein.

My NEXT favorite is Zoi (plain of course). It is not local and you've probably heard of it. I buy that one just because it helps keep my blood sugar response safe at lunch. It is 18 g fat/cup. It's also useful because it is very thick and keeps my tupperware from getting too runny.

My NEXT favorite is SIGGI (plain as well). It is a nice addition also for its incredible thickness. Unlike the others, it is protein concentrated (I think from all the straining). 25g protein/cup!! Very unusual for yogurt. 8 is classic (another aside - I always think of milk as the perfect food in its macronutrient composition: 8 g fat/12gcarb/8g protein - and all of it wonderfully bioavailable for absorption - if I can get my kids to have a nice glass of milk before heading off to school I feel like a good mom for a few minutes).

My "local support" purchase is Grace Harbor Farms, right close to me. It is a classic Gurnsey Plain yogurt, so it is that classic 8/12/8 combo for fat, carb, protein.

So each morning I mix up about .5cups (I just scoop, I don't measure) of each type into my tupperware, for a total of about 2.5cups, I think. I am careful NOT to mix them in the morning because I don't want their unique microbes to outcompete the others as they might if fully mixed (yes, the OCDness of my yogurt-love is amazing even to me). At the same time I often use these yogurts to make the boys a smoothie. I add 1/2 a frozen banana to theirs. Then I sprinkle on 1/2 cup (again, estimate) of frozen blueberries (from Costco, and from only one state away) and frozen strawberries (also from Costco, one state away). I grow my own blueberries and ever-bearing strawberries during the summer.

There are a couple other local dairies I try to support: Twin Brook Creamery and My Shan Dairy. Both of these produce fantastic Jersey milk, but not yogurt. Local dairies also tend to use "vat pasteurization", which causes less of a decrease in nutritional value of the milk (compared to typical high-temp pasteurization).

Sabbatical Proposal Update

Moving on to other news, I think I've come up with my sabbatical proposal: an in-depth literature review on type 2 diabetes, reading far more of the original research articles than I normally have time for. I'll include research and current treatment approaches in the scope of my study, as well. I will try to interview a few of the top researchers/clinicians in the field, and attend at least 2 conferences. Lastly, I will incorporate my own (eventual) CGM data (continuous glucose monitor) and experiments, as well as pay out of pocket for monthly labwork for a year - all data to use with students when I return to the classroom.
I will propose a 2-quarter sabbatical, which takes a salary reduction but is still enough to keep the kids in school and pay the bills. I will put my thesis together and do a talk at work summarizing my findings; I will distribute my summaries to my science colleagues and also the nursing faculty. I'm pretty excited! I had originally been thinking to do another Master's degree, this time in Medical Nutrition, but the program cost $26,000. And honestly, most of the curriculum I already know. It would just be jumping through a hoop to get more letters after my name.
So. Wish me luck! Application is due Nov. 5th.

P.S. To satisfy my nutrition craving (since I won't be doing that Medical Nutrition Master's), I signed up for Chris Masterjohn's Vitamin & Mineral Masterclass. Just for fun, and mostly review, but there are so many details with nutrition, and this guy is kind of a brilliant, nerdy, wizard.

Monday, October 14

118.6

Eating
B: coffee w/milk and half&half
1 cup chicken broth
L: yogurt w/berries
D: kale salad w/guacamole & olive oil/vinegar, 1 leftover pork chop
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Monday is my all-day feedback day (for my "collaborative grading" classes) so I spend a solid 10 hours reading progress reports and giving supportive feedback to students. I spend another 4 hours on Tuesday finishing them up. During this time, I want to take walk breaks each hour (500 steps minimum), pull-up breaks, Nutritional Movement breaks, Vitamin Week 2, Day 3, etc. So each hour decent moving despite massive computer work.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

pinkhippie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:00 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by pinkhippie » Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:19 pm

automatedeating wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:06 pm
Good morning everyone!

Hi Pinkie - You have asked another question that gets me, shall we say, overly excited? :lol: I have such a thing for yogurt, and especially local dairy cows. I'm always visiting working farms, and sometimes I have the farmers come speak to my microbiology classes (about things like pasteurization and state and federal laws for milk safety, etc.). Anyway, I (already) digress. :-)

My FAVORITE brand is called Alexander. A lot of their family lives right here in my neck of the woods (Northern Wa), but their cows are in Crescent Valley, CA. They are big on the forefront of sustainable agriculture and using ruminants to keep the soil and environment healthy, etc. Their cows are A2/A2 (mostly Jerseys and Gurnseys, that produce a theoretically less allergenic type of casein), and their yogurt is 6% milkfat. I also buy their milk and half&half products, which are what I put in my coffee. The yogurt is (per cup) 14g fat, 10g carb, 8g protein.

My NEXT favorite is Zoi (plain of course). It is not local and you've probably heard of it. I buy that one just because it helps keep my blood sugar response safe at lunch. It is 18 g fat/cup. It's also useful because it is very thick and keeps my tupperware from getting too runny.

My NEXT favorite is SIGGI (plain as well). It is a nice addition also for its incredible thickness. Unlike the others, it is protein concentrated (I think from all the straining). 25g protein/cup!! Very unusual for yogurt. 8 is classic (another aside - I always think of milk as the perfect food in its macronutrient composition: 8 g fat/12gcarb/8g protein - and all of it wonderfully bioavailable for absorption - if I can get my kids to have a nice glass of milk before heading off to school I feel like a good mom for a few minutes).

My "local support" purchase is Grace Harbor Farms, right close to me. It is a classic Gurnsey Plain yogurt, so it is that classic 8/12/8 combo for fat, carb, protein.

So each morning I mix up about .5cups (I just scoop, I don't measure) of each type into my tupperware, for a total of about 2.5cups, I think. I am careful NOT to mix them in the morning because I don't want their unique microbes to outcompete the others as they might if fully mixed (yes, the OCDness of my yogurt-love is amazing even to me). At the same time I often use these yogurts to make the boys a smoothie. I add 1/2 a frozen banana to theirs. Then I sprinkle on 1/2 cup (again, estimate) of frozen blueberries (from Costco, and from only one state away) and frozen strawberries (also from Costco, one state away). I grow my own blueberries and ever-bearing strawberries during the summer.

There are a couple other local dairies I try to support: Twin Brook Creamery and My Shan Dairy. Both of these produce fantastic Jersey milk, but not yogurt. Local dairies also tend to use "vat pasteurization", which causes less of a decrease in nutritional value of the milk (compared to typical high-temp pasteurization).

Sabbatical Proposal Update

Moving on to other news, I think I've come up with my sabbatical proposal: an in-depth literature review on type 2 diabetes, reading far more of the original research articles than I normally have time for. I'll include research and current treatment approaches in the scope of my study, as well. I will try to interview a few of the top researchers/clinicians in the field, and attend at least 2 conferences. Lastly, I will incorporate my own (eventual) CGM data (continuous glucose monitor) and experiments, as well as pay out of pocket for monthly labwork for a year - all data to use with students when I return to the classroom.
I will propose a 2-quarter sabbatical, which takes a salary reduction but is still enough to keep the kids in school and pay the bills. I will put my thesis together and do a talk at work summarizing my findings; I will distribute my summaries to my science colleagues and also the nursing faculty. I'm pretty excited! I had originally been thinking to do another Master's degree, this time in Medical Nutrition, but the program cost $26,000. And honestly, most of the curriculum I already know. It would just be jumping through a hoop to get more letters after my name.
So. Wish me luck! Application is due Nov. 5th.

P.S. To satisfy my nutrition craving (since I won't be doing that Medical Nutrition Master's), I signed up for Chris Masterjohn's Vitamin & Mineral Masterclass. Just for fun, and mostly review, but there are so many details with nutrition, and this guy is kind of a brilliant, nerdy, wizard.

Monday, October 14

118.6

Eating
B: coffee w/milk and half&half
L: (will be) yogurt w/berries
D:

Moving
Monday is my all-day feedback day (for my "collaborative grading" classes) so I spend a solid 10 hours reading progress reports and giving supportive feedback to students. I spend another 4 hours on Tuesday finishing them up. During this time, I want to take walk breaks each hour (500 steps minimum), pull-up breaks, Nutritional Movement breaks, Vitamin Week 2, Day 3, etc. So each hour decent moving despite massive computer work.
Wow!

Thank you for all the yogurt info. It sounds like you have really taken the time to prepare the exact right combination of yogurts. I don't think we have any nice local dairy's here. I will have to do some research. The yogurt I eat is the only full fat yogurt I can find at the store which is Greek Gods. I will have to check my local health food store. Your lunch sounds quite delicious. I love yogurt too and back in the old days I used to have a little 6 oz container of sugar free yogurt for lunch and that is all. Ahh the perils of youth. :) I am always looking for something quick and simple I can eat for lunch which is nutritious, filling, and not a lot of work to make. Thanks for the details!

Your sabbatical proposal sounds great! It also sounds awesome to be able to take a break from teaching and pursue something that interests you in depth.

Whosonfirst
Posts: 538
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:32 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Whosonfirst » Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:54 pm

Auto, I have to agree with pinkhippie, Double WOW! Your knowledge of yogurt kind of blows me away. And your sabbatical sounds really cool. I knew you were smart, but WOW. And now I'm really hankering for some good yogurt.
https://twitter.com/SipeEngineering
Current weight(9/2020)-212 lbs.
Goal Weight- 205 lbs.
NoS Goal: >= 80% Success days

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Tue Oct 15, 2019 4:30 am

Good luck with the sabbatical, type 2 diabetes is a fast growing problem and interesting subject.

Keep us updated with your findings, perhaps a separate thread?

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Oct 15, 2019 1:07 pm

Pinkie - Greek Gods is yummy yogurt! I'm thinking I just don't get that one because a) it has a little more sugar (about 15g for some reason, I'm not sure why); and b) I already have Zoi, which is similar. :-)

Thanks Whos. :-) People can have funny passions - one of mine is yogurt, what can I say? :wink:

Soprano - I'll definitely keep the thread updated on my findings. You know I won't be able to stop myself! :roll: :lol:

Tuesday, October 15

118.2

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
L: yogurt w/berries
D: pork chop and salad (put some walnuts & guac & cheese on there too)
decaf coffee w/half&half

I can't remember if I updated on here about my cold and its effects on my resting HR and on my sleep. My normal resting HR is 65. My fitbit tracked it steadily rising, about 1 beat a day, for an entire week, where it topped out at 72 for a couple days. Then, yesterday, after elevating for 8 days, it FINALLY dropped to 70. This morning 70 again. So, my metabolism was kicking it up during the illness. Fascinating. Makes sense but I've never observed it before. And, I might point out, this wasn't even a flu or a fever-causing illness. Just a regular cold. To go along with it, my sleep has been terrible. The fitbit averaged me typically at around 86% on sleep quality - - but since I got sick my sleep quality has tanked down to an average of 77%. It appears the wake-ups are far more frequent (from coughing, sniffing, etc.). I do wonder if the elevated HR also makes it more difficult to get deep sleep.

Moving
Yesterday I didn't even get quite to 10K steps. I was working at my computer most of the day. I did get hourly movement in, though, and did both of my mobility workouts.
Today - same idea. Lots of computer work to do, but regular movement will be the goal.
But today I've got to get at least 13.5k steps. I don't want my computer lifestyle to be my excuse again today.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:11 pm

118 lbs?? 😳 You must have had to buy a whole new wardrobe by now! Congrats!

Your talk of yogurt made me really crave some so when I went to the store I bought some Siggi yogurt—yum! I’m jealous of your access to local yogurt. I have a yogurt maker but haven’t used it for awhile. May be time to break it out again!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

User avatar
liveitup
Posts: 265
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:17 am
Location: California

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by liveitup » Wed Oct 16, 2019 1:23 am

Re: grains, my pleasure. ;) That's great that you narrowed it down. Thank you for sharing.
BMI March 2021: 28
Using NoS to eliminate emotional eating.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:36 am

Wednesday, October 16

118.8

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, only having 1 regular and then 1 decaf in morning now. 2 regular in the morning was starting to make me noticeably antsy!
L: yogurt w/berries
collagen proteins & MCT oil
D: pork chop and kale salad w/guac

Moving
Aiming for 10k today. I was pretty deskbound....

Felt restless and overwhelmed today. Didn't feel like a good reason to be overwhelmed. Not sure what it is. A little anxious.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:08 am

Thursday, October 17

119.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
L: yogurt w/berries
D: pork chop, scrambled eggs
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
I'm aiming for 13.5K steps again, with some hanging, stretching, pulling, pushing, and squatting thrown in at various points. My other big goal is moving every hour, at least 250 steps but ideally 500.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:43 pm

Friday, October 18

119.0
Morning BP: 110/69

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half -- Note - this entire week I have just had one regular cup a day because otherwise I feel too jazzed up! Wow! That's so interesting since I have been having 2-3 cups a day for years. I also find it interesting that it has occurred the week I am in recovery from a cold.
In my Chris Masterjohn Nutrient Class, I have learned that coffee is a good source of niacin, but decaf has far less.
1 cup chicken broth
L: yogurt w/berries
D: liver, bacon & onions + kale salad
decaf coffee w/half&half
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Oct 19, 2019 1:31 pm

Saturday, October 19

118.2
Morning BP: 111/68

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
collagen proteins + MCT oil
L: yogurt w/berries
decaf americano w/a friend. We also went out to paint together - loved it. Will pick up my fired piece next week.
dessert 1: 1/2 almond hershey bar dipped in crunchy peanut butter.
D: salmon and salad
dessert 2: 1/2 a banana w/peanut butter and the rest of the chocolate bar. So delicious and satisfying. I am going to be enjoying these desserts for awhile, I think.
decaf coffee w/half&half

This weekend's S options may be some of the following - bananas, diet cokes, chocolate bars, apples, chocolate peanut butter, Indian food (rice) and/or tacos (corn tortillas).

Moving
I joined a Fitbit Challenge with my sister - we are racing to do 30,000 steps, and about every 5,000 steps there is a beautiful picture on the "trail" we are virtually hiking. The pictures are fully panoramic, and move with your phone. It's so cool! We're hiking a trail called: Valley Loop - it's in Yosemite National Park, which I've never been to.
I've pretty consistently been averaging 13,500 steps daily - actually I often exceed this. I love my walk/jogs (so does HappyHerder) but I yearn a teensy bit for some more regularity to my resistance work.
Also, for fun, I've been reading about this "kaatsu" method of resistance training. Very strange! But they say it's particularly good for recovering from injuries and for elderly people that can't do normal weight training.
OK, so after more reading, I signed up for Integral Strength, the THIRD program I've bought from GMB. First I did Elements, now I'm doing Vitamin, and next I'll do Integral Strength. I love their stuff.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

cedar
Posts: 312
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:30 am
Location: Australia

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by cedar » Sun Oct 20, 2019 4:44 am

The kaatsu method sounds interesting, you're always trying new things and still stay consistent with what you commit to Auto. Very impressive xxx

User avatar
BackToThin
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2019 4:29 am

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by BackToThin » Sun Oct 20, 2019 5:37 am

Wow. You are so awesome about logging your food and exercise here. Very, very cool.

I should check out your journal when I'm not sure what I want to eat so I can get some good ideas. :)
No-S Lifestyle (~Don't Eat Like An Idiot Diet) and re-learning how to eat like a normal person after failing post calorie counting. More than half a year of that sent me diving face first into a giant slice of cheese cake and ultimately fat again.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:09 pm

Thanks cedar. I didn't actually decide to do anything with kaatsu, although I am absolutely intrigued with the concept. I think for now just doing some more tried-and-true workouts are what I need to focus on.

BtoT - that's funny that you would look at my thread for meal ideas. It's so basic; the only real variation is what protein I have for dinner. But I love my meals and feel better nourished than ever.

Sunday, October 20

Just within the last week, a couple new things have emerged for me:
1) I find that I "feeling" caffeine more and have reduced my normal coffee drinking to only 1 cup a day. I basically just sub out a decaf cup in the morning. I'm wanting to document this to see if it's just a passing phase.
2) I am sleeping really well! And I wake up after about 7 hours feeling super refreshed and ready to get up! That said, I keep trying to go back to sleep because I assume I need the whole 8 hours. My fitbit sleep scores aren't that great (in the low-to-mid-80's) so I'm not sure why I feel so good after just 7 hours. And my energy remains good/stable for the entire day. Come 8:30, I'm ready to read with Creator, read by myself, and then fall asleep about 9:30.

I just want to document this and have it to return to later. Sometimes I forget how things have cycles. Mood cycles, sleep cycles, cravings for food cycles, etc. It's normal and we shouldn't expect to "have arrived" in some area of self-care.

Also I am 6 months alcohol-free now and I am kind of amazed that I have done this for so long.

118.4

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
dessert: banana slices w/peanut butter, diet coke
D: grilled burger patty w/guac, cheese, onion, pickles, bacon. Also finished the leftover salmon
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Aiming for 18k steps today.
Vitamin - new floor move, week 2, day 6
Integral Strength - assessment week 1, day 1. This workout will include pull-ups, which jives nicely with my current daily bar pulling, hanging, swinging

Creator got the role for King Herod in the Christmas play. He is so cute. It's a comedy role, believe it or not. He has long practices on Sunday afternoon, so I can just walk during them and listen to my podcasts.
You know, listening to podcasts is the perfect solution for my cerebral mind to be able to settle into chores like laundry, bathroom cleaning, etc. I have to be moving while I listen, so why not get the chores done that I normally procrastinate on?

To come full circle on the discussion at the start of this post - my greater energy has me accomplishing so much more every day. I actually don't just mean this week, but a very gradual improvement of energy beginning about 3 months after I quit drinking. It took a long time! And when I read about how much alcohol depletes our folate and other B vitamins (yes, I'm on a B vitamin kick right now), it makes me wonder how deficient I was nutritionally while I was drinking a lot. And even the gradual rebuilding of my nutrient stores has taken a long time.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

cedar
Posts: 312
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:30 am
Location: Australia

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by cedar » Sun Oct 20, 2019 10:46 pm

I love podcasts also! It's amazing how tasks I've been putting off (cleaning windows dusting etc..) can be done with enjoyment and ease thanks to a great podcast!

Hmmm, liver. So you fry it up with onion? I eat pate' every now and then, but I'm sure it's not the same. I've heard it's rich in vitamin c among other nutrients😁. My Swiss MIL eats it a bit, I might ask her how she cooks it. She makes everything delicious!

Great job with your steps!!!!

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:06 pm

Yep! I fry it up with onion and bacon!

Monday, October 21
Fasting Blood Glucose: 92

Woke up feeling refreshed and great again. This is such a change! Too many variables to nail down the cause, but I am going to chalk it up to three things:
1) a fairly sustained time period of avoiding most foods that spike my blood sugar and/or irritate my gut lining (give me gas, etc)
2) improvement in my brain/body chemistry as I've reached 6 months alcohol-free
3) improvement in my nutritional status as I've eaten nutrient-dense foods like meat and yogurt, and more recently, liver.

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, collagen proteins + MCT oil
L: yogurt w/berries
D: liver w/bacon, eggs, and onion (pre-dinner BG: 88)
decaf coffee w/regular milk....sigh. I ran out of half&half and cream...

Moving
A very quiet day. I just feel the need to take it easy with my body. I've been pushing pretty hard lately. And, LOL, it's been SOOOOO rainy today I kind of just want to read in the tub. :-)

My kangaroo costume arrived! Complete with a joey! And Creator will be Chewbacca. And HappyHerder is going to wear a saddle with a cowboy puppet. We are ready to rock!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:44 pm

Tuesday, October 22

118.4
Fasting Blood Glucose: 95

Well, I felt tired this morning, so I guess my energy increase was temporary. Sometimes I wonder how much my energy is tied to my emotional state. For example, yesterday I had a hard counseling session, followed by some frustrating meetings at work and then Creator was talking my ear off and I had no time to process anything! After dinner I became overwhelmed with fatigue and just wanted everyone to leave me alone. I fell asleep by 9, slept like a rock until 6, and now I'm sort of dragging. But I guess it's partly emotional. Yet I still haven't had time to actually identify the emotions and impulses that were bubbling up yesterday. Sigh. And the rest of the week has a difficult schedule for me, as well. And it's cold and RAINY RAINY RAINY. I'm the first to get out there for a rainy day walk, but after a solid week of it.... ugh. All my shoes are wet.

Eating
B: coffee w/milk
L: yogurt w/berries
decaf coffee w/cream
D: beef bowl salad w/egg and guac and cheese
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
All those meetings kept me desk-bound yesterday, and then I went up to read last night instead of getting in an evening walk.
But today I got over 22,000 steps. I did my GMB vitamin move (proper jump form) and some pull-ups.


Also, a reading update - Creator and I are TEN pages from finishing Harry Potter #5. We started it a year ago, I'm pretty sure. It's taken us forever - between stretches where we don't read, and then even when we're consistent, he just doesn't have the attention span to listen to books. Maybe 20 min max and he's done. Anyway, whatever the causes and reasons for it taking this long, we are almost done and he will finally get to watch the 5th movie! Then we'll move on to another Gregor The Overlander book (another series we've been slowly inching through).
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:14 pm

Holy Cow! I slept terribly last night for some reason! A "66" sleep score on my fitbit, which is the worst I've seen since I got it in late summer. And it says I slept 8 hours! And got decent deep sleep, etc. It must be that I had a high resting heart rate and was restless. I do know I woke up for 2 hours during the night and thought of traumatic things (yeah, not good). But still. I usually score in the 80's and have never seen a score below 74.

My blood glucose was high too - 104 this morning. I could have called that. Stress definitely raises my fasting blood sugar.

Maybe I 'overexercised' yesterday? I didn't do anything too intense, but who knows.

Wednesday, October 23
118.0

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries
collagen proteins + MCT oil + half&half
D: liver, 2 eggs, and a piece of bacon
decaf coffee w/half&half, peanut butter & banana slices

Moving
Goal of 13.5ksteps
GMB Integral Strength
GMB Vitamin
Nutritious Movement? I haven't been doing this much
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:01 pm

Thursday, October 24

117.8
Fasting Blood Glucose: 95
Morning Blood Pressure: 109/67

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, walnuts
L: yogurt w/berries, 1 cup bone broth
D: date night! I am so ready for a date night - this has been a rough week. I got a "mad max" burger with broccoli and carrots. It was delicious but my blood sugar went up to at least 131 by 90 min post-meal. By 2 hours it was moving down at 126. Can you imagine if I'd had the fries?

Moving
Aiming for 13.5K steps. Only got to 12k yesterday. But I also sense my body needs rest. I have been working out far more intensely the past few weeks than normal, and I shouldn't underestimate the importance of recovery. I can't believe how much I jog now. And I'm not TRYING to, my feet just start doing it. What a change. But I think I need to rest more.
Did Nutritious Movement
Did GMB Vitamin (a kick and spin move; it's fun)
Did GMB Integral Strength
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:19 pm

Friday, October 25
118.8
Fasting Blood Glucose:100
Sleep Score: 81

I'm having a small bit of mourning/self-pity that I seem to be so carb intolerant. Just one hamburger bun spikes me. This isn't the first time I've had this pity party. I'm otherwise feeling so good. I just get a little jealous of people that can eat whatever they want without seeing their blood sugar spike. I need to be thankful for the good things in my life and not hyperfocus on one small thing that is out of whack. I should also be thankful that I know this about myself and can prevent a lot of the damage by making good choices.

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
L: yogurt w/berries (102; 30 min: 123; 60 min: 114; 90 min: 121; 2 hours: 112)
collagen protein + MCT oil w/half&half
D: salad w/tuna fish, guacamole, and saurkraut (2hr BG: 100)
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Aiming for 13.5kstep, GMB vitamin, integral strength, nutritious movement.
I have a long work day so probably I am aiming too high. Sigh.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

TexArk
Posts: 804
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:50 am
Location: Foothills of the Ozarks

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by TexArk » Sat Oct 26, 2019 12:19 am

I have noticed that some days your fasting blood glucose is under 100. I never can get mine there (as I mentioned to you before, I am sure it is dawn phenomenon), but I do stay stable around 100 all day. I also recently had my Hemoglobin A1C checked and I am at 5.2. But like you, if I eat half a potato or a piece of fruit, my blood sugar will skyrocket! Thankfully I can enjoy 85-100 % dark chocolate square and all is well. I am almost all animal food these days so I don't post much on this board. I do follow along though. It seems we all have more than enough stress in our lives!
24.7 bmi Feb. 2019
26.1 bmi Sept. 2018
31.4 bmi July 2017

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Oct 26, 2019 1:21 am

Thanks for posting, Tex. That's so awesome that you remain stable all day. Have you listened to Paul Saladino's podcast? I find him so articulate and, well, frankly I think he is brilliant. I am not entirely convinced by his arguments but I sure do enjoy listening.
My HbA1C was 5.9% in the summer. :cry: But I've tightened up since then and I'm crossing my fingers for better results in another month or so.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: Friday, Week 7

Post by automatedeating » Sat Oct 26, 2019 1:56 am

A post of mine from October of 2013 -- just thought it was fascinating. Encouragement to all of those that wonder if they can really change. I have changed. Take a look -
automatedeating wrote:
Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:52 pm

Weird day. I didn't really have a breakfast, then when I got home from work around 12 noon I was very hungry and anticipating soup. We all went out to eat, but didn't get food until about 2pm. I was so hungry, I started thinking about eating things/snacking/sweets, temptations that haven't bothered me much on N days for the past month and a half. I think this might mean the 'honeymoon' of No S is fading for me. I am scared but steadfast, doubting but determined, discouraged but diligent, slow to change but sure of my habit, tired but tenacious.

Someday this will be just part of who I am--the weird part will be having an interest in snacks, seconds or sweets during the week.

I want to change so badly. I want to be a moderate eater. I have been eating moderately since August 25th. The problem is I am excruciatingly aware that most dietary changes don't stick long-term. I am painfully cognizant that most weight loss doesn't last. I'm on this forum for the social support that I know will help me experience lasting change. I look forward to a time when I don't have rely on a daily check-in, but that time seems so distant I can't really imagine it yet.
LOL about that last part. I love this forum! It's my diary! It's not so much that I need as it fulfills something in me. But I couldn't see that 6 years ago! Such a journey.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:56 am

But how can you know those other people don't have blood sugar spikes. I suspect a lot more than know are heading towards type 2 diabetes because of their diet.......


Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

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